Broken Circles
by Kit Brightside
Summary: "If I'm a bad person, you don't like me; well I guess I'll make my own way. It's a circle, I mean cycle, I can't excite you anymore. Where's your gavel? Your Jury? what's my offense this time? You're not a judge but if you're gonna judge me, well sentence me to another life." - Paramore "I can't do this anymore." Agitation crackled under his skin. "Then let me ease your burden."
1. Prologue

"So… you two went to the future-"

"We didn't _go_ to the future," Jay interrupts the master of ice. "it was more like… we came back to the past. Only not like when Garmadon had the mega weapon, otherwise there'd be two of us, but more like in a video game where you go back to a previous save."

"Like how you save right before a big decision and if you chose the wrong one you reload?"

"I'm not sure I like that analogy…" Nya sighs.

After the whole mess with Nadakhan, Nya and Jay were trying to explain what happened to the others. Of course, between Jay's rambling and backtracking when he remembered something important, and Nya's constant interruptions to either correct Jay or just complain that he wasn't telling it right, they'd gotten nowhere fast.

"W-well, uh, then it's kind of like…" Jay makes some vague hand gestures, as if he could grab a more 'appropriate' analogy out of thin air. "Like… uh… hitting rewind on a DVD? Only it doesn't… go… the same… like an actual DVD would…"

"This is getting us nowhere." Cole shakes his head. "I wish there was some way we could know what happened without having to hear it second hand."

"Ugh…" Jay groans. "Man, I never want to hear those words _ever_ again!"

There's a knock at the door that surprises all of them. They share a look before Lloyd, who was the closest, walks over to the door and opens it. There's a long moment of silence before Lloyd looks back at Zane, then at whoever was in the doorway, then back at Zane, before finally saying.

"Wha…?"

"Hello, it is nice to meet you." A voice that was almost an exact match for Zane's could be heard from the doorway. "I am Echo Zane. I was created to protect those who cannot protect themselves."

"Echo?!" Jay calls out, sounding both excited and confused. He quickly moves over to the door and nudges Lloyd out of the way. "You're really here! Why're you here? How'd you get here?"

"It is good to see you again, Jay." Echo Zane says politely, before motioning to the figure standing across the street, leaning against a building. "And I contacted Ronin to ask for his assistance in getting here."

"Okay… Wait, you said again. Does that mean you remember the previous timeline?"

"Previous timeline? I was not aware we were in another." He seems to think for a moment, before nodding. "It would explain why I was suddenly back in the lighthouse, and why Ronin did not seem to understand who I was or why I was asking him for assistance. By the way, he said to tell you that you apparently owe him one? He did not specify what 'one' you owe him, though."

"He just meant we owe him a favor… Or money, knowing him." Jay shrugs, sparing a glare for the con artist.

"Uh, could one of you explain just why there are two Zanes?" Kai demands.

"I am Echo Zane."

"Well, after Zane's dad got locked up in the lighthouse, I think he decided to make a replacement Zane." Jay ushers the bronze nindroid inside. "Which makes him your little brother, Zane!"

"Brother?" Both nindroids question simultaneously.

"Yes." Jay laughs. "You two are family!"

"Family…" Zane mutters, appearing to consider it for a moment before smiling softly. "It is nice to meet you, Brother."

"Yes, it is nice to meet you, as well." They share a stiff handshake.

"Ok… so I guess it isn't so unbelievable for there to be two Zanes." Cole says slowly.

"I am Echo Zane."

"Yeah, about that, maybe we should just call you Echo. To avoid confusion, I mean."

"But I am Echo Zane." The younger nindroid says with confusion.

"It is a nickname." Zane informs his brother. "It makes it easier to address the individual it is given to."

"I see." Echo Zane says seriously. "Then I will allow you all to call me Echo, even though I am Echo Zane."

A loud knocking on the door startles them. This time it's Cole who answers the door.

"Took you long enough." Ronin huffs, walking right through the ghost to get inside.

" _Really_?"

"So, did the tin can give you my message?"

"Tin cans cannot talk." Echo says. "So I do not think one would be able to pass on a message for you."

"I believe he was making fun of you." Zane says, glaring at the criminal.

"But I am not made of tin, nor am I a can."

"That's the point." Kai snorts.

"That is illogical."

" _Anyway_ …" Ronin drags everyone's attention back to himself. "I had to go out of my way to pick this guy up and he promised me compensation."

"I did not."

"Yeah, you did, actually. I told you it wouldn't be a free ride."

"Yes, but you asked me to deliver a message. I did. We are even now."

Ronin seemed to consider this for a moment before laughing.

"Well, I guess you're right. Hey, if you need a job, I could always use someone who's good at spotting loopholes."

"He will not be needing a job." Zane says immediately, stepping in front of the other nindroid.

"Hey, calm down, tin man. It was only an offer."

"I will not allow my only family to become a criminal."

"I was made to protect those who cannot protect themselves." Echo leans to the side to get a better view around his brother. "I would not partake in criminal activity."

"I never said anything about anything _illegal_." Ronin rolls his eyes. "You know, you all act so high and mighty for a group of vigilantes."

"We aren't a group of vigilantes." Lloyd says. "Why don't you just tell us what you want so you can leave?"

"…REX could use a few upgrades. Now, I know you lot have come into some money as of your recent fame, so I thought you'd be kind enough to help out a poor man like myself."

"Actually, most of the money goes right back into whatever it is that Dareth is doing to help make us famous." Cole says. "We aren't hurting for money, but we don't have enough to get whatever top-of-the-line upgrades you're probably imagining."

"Ah, I see… well, in that case, why don't we make things a bit easier on your wallets? You have a vehicle expert here who could help install the upgrades, rather than go through the hassle of paying for labor."

"Oh no." Jay immediately objects, walking up to Ronin and poking him in the chest. "You just want some alone time with Nya!"

"Yeah, I'm against that, too." Kai crosses his arms over his chest, giving Ronin a disapproving glare.

"Would you two calm down?" Nya scoffs, rolling her eyes, before turning to Ronin with a smile. "I would love to help you."

"But…" Jay seemed to flounder. "But we still haven't finished explaining what happened to the others!"

"You can explain it to them yourself, Jay." She waves him off, grabs Ronin's arm and starts heading for the door. "So what kind of upgrades were you looking to make?"

"Well, I had a few things in mind, but maybe it'd be good to get a second opinion."

The triumphant, mocking smile he tosses Jay over his shoulder leaves the blue ninja infuriated, but Nya's own words leaves him feeling a tad helpless. He should trust her, right? She chose him, after all, and even if he didn't trust Ronin, he could trust her.

 _Just like you trusted her before?_

 _Just like you trusted Cole?_

Jay bites the inside of his cheek, trying to will those nasty thoughts away. He'd gotten over that, had moved on, forgiven and forgotten…

A hand rests on his shoulder, gives it a light squeeze, and although it's cold like Zane (and Echo too) it has an underlying strength to it that could only belong to Cole.

"Don't worry about it." The ninja of earth assures him, once more squeezing his shoulder before letting go.

"If you do not mind my asking," Echo Zane speaks up. "what was it that you were explaining to the others?"

"Huh? Oh! R-right, that…" The ninja of lightning looked longingly at the door for a moment before turning to the others and giving them a wane smile. "Maybe you can make it a little easier, actually."

"I would be happy to help."

"Great! Ok, first off, can you project things like Zane?"

End Prologue


	2. Chapter 1

"Ok, everyone's here." Cole said as soon as the last of the ninja (plus sensei Wu) took their seats around the table. "Why did you want to have a meeting?"

"After everything Jay, Nya, and Echo told and showed us, I believed it imperative that we know as much as possible about djinn just in case we ever run into another one. While Echo and I are still conducting research, there is one thing we found that we believe you need to know."

Echo began to push some buttons on the main console, bringing up a picture of Nadakhan.

"As we mentioned before, this is the djinn that Jay, Nya, and I fought in the alternate future." He pushed a few more buttons, bringing up a silhouette with the name 'Delara' under it. "We know that Nadakhan had a love interest who died shortly after his imprisonment, and that, according to first hand witnesses who knew her, looked almost exactly like Nya."

Zane gave Echo a little nod, which the other nindroid returned.

"Now, around the time that Delara died, a single infant was left on the doorstep of a nearby orphanage, covered in blood, according to the records, with nothing to indicate the identity of the infant or the parents." A picture of the orphanage in question, as well as a picture of a babe that looked on the verge of tears is brought up on screen. "I do not believe it is a stretch to say that this child could be theirs."

"So… are you saying their descendants could be running around causing havoc!?" Jay jumps up out of his seat, causing it to fall over with a clatter. "We barely survived the last time, and you think there could be more djinn out there?!"

"Please allow me to finish before you draw your conclusions, Jay. I promise it is not as bad as it seems."

"I don't know…" Cole says, running a hand through his hair. "If the djinn are as powerful as you guys said, even without the ability to wish for themselves, it could be disastrous if even _one_ of them turned on Ninjago."

"As I said before, it is not as bad as it seems." Zane gives his friends a small, but warm, smile. "After tracing the lineage of the infant, it came down to just two living descendants."

"Two?" Kai scoffs. "Sounds like two too many."

"Yeah." Nya agrees. "Nadakhan was bad enough, I don't even want to know what kind of freaks his descendants are!"

"Yes… well…" Zane couldn't stifle his laughter.

"What is so funny?" Echo asks.

"I explained irony to you, yes?"

"Yes." There's a brief moment before his golden eyes light up in recognition. "Oh! You mean that it is funny because they are the descendants that they are talking so poorly about?"

"Dude, if you have to explain it…" Jay mutters, before freezing. "Wait... d-does that mean they're djinn?"

"Actually, Kai would be a djinn and Nya would be a genie, since Kai is male and Nya is female."

"Hold up!" Kai demands, glaring at the two nindroids. "How can you be so sure that this kid is even related to Nadakhan? I mean, nothing mentioned that Delara was ever pregnant, right?"

"No, but they do not give an exact date of her death, either. It is just 'shortly after Nadakhan was imprisoned,' which could have been anything from a few days to a few months. Also, I doubt she would have made such a fact well known, to either the crew or the general public. As the love of a well known and feared pirate, she would be a target for whatever enemies he'd made."

"Also," Echo adds. "It could be possible that not even Nadakhan himself knew."

"But we don't have the power to grant wishes like Nadakhan did." Nya says, shaking her head. "And what about our elemental powers?"

"Well, djinn are fire spirits, so it could be possible that your djinn blood is the source of that power. And, as every generation gets farther from the djinn blood, those powers would get weaker. Even if we assume the powers are strengthened by having children with other descendants, you'd never be able to be as powerful as a full blooded djinn naturally." Zane motions to Echo, who pulls up a very large family tree, which they had appeared to assemble themselves. It had a lot of branches that appeared to just end, as the person died without leaving any kin, and at the bottom was Kai and Nya's father, with the two familiar ninja under him.

"So, Kai and Nya are, like, djinn royalty?" Lloyd asks, after a minute of studying the complex tree.

"That is what we deduced, yes."

"Does that mean that they _can_ grant wishes?" Cole asks, after studying Kai for a moment. "If I wished for something would it come true?"

"Don't!" Jay yells immediately. "How many times do I have to tell you all not to before you listen to me?!"

"I wasn't going to _actually_ make a wish, Jay."

"I am not certain if it can be called granting wishes, exactly, but I do believe they have an influence on their surroundings whether they know it or not." Zane motioned to Echo again, who changes the screen to list their many adventures. "A lot of the things around us that happen have rather… skewed results."

"Skewed how?" Cole asks.

"Every time something goes wrong, we fail to stop it until the very last moment. Despite the many dangerous situations we get into, no one gets seriously injured or killed…" He looks troubled for a moment. "Aside from losing Sensei Garmadon and my brief death, we have suffered no real losses."

"What about your father's death?" Sensei Wu asks, carefully studying the nindroid's face.

"My father…" He looks over at Echo. "Our father had already exceeded his time here. He had accepted that fact, and I respect his decision."

"I see." The old man ran his hand over his beard a few times.

"So you're saying that everything we've done, all our accomplishments, are just due to magic?" Kai huffs.

"No. It might have been a factor, but I believe that it also caused many of our setbacks as well." Zane's eyes linger on Jay for a moment, flicker to Cole, then he glances away. While his brothers might not have noticed, Cole did, and he files that away for later, when he could ask the nindroid about it alone.

"Our research did not end there." Echo helpfully supplies, changing the screen to bring back the family tree, before zooming into one person in specific. "This descendant had a lot of strange things happening around him. Eventually he went to their towns medicine woman, more commonly called the town witch in those days, and asked for a cure."

"While there were no records of what the cure was, it apparently worked. It even undid some of the less permanent changes, too." Zane picks up where Echo left off. "It is not a cure, not the kind he had searched for, as he had only thought of the negative impacts on his life, and that was what he sought to correct."

"So… why would we want the cure?" Nya asks tentatively. "I mean, yeah, some strange stuff does happen, but like you said, nothing really bad has happened. Can't we just try to… I don't know, control it?"

"There is another possible outcome of your powers." Zane says somberly. "I am not sure if it was because of how strong he was, but Nadakhan was able to change the past. You and Jay can attest to that fact."

"As can I."

"Yes, as can my brother." Zane gives Echo an apologetic look, which the bronze nindroid seems to not quite understand, but doesn't question at the moment. "We do not know whether the past has already been changed, and if so, how much it's been changed or will continue to change."

"But if that's true…" Lloyd says slowly. "Doesn't that mean this 'cure' will fix everything? Will any of us even know each other if that happens? We could all have had vastly different lives up 'till whenever the change occurred."

"I do not think such a drastic change will occur. To clarify, the cure will only fix the immaterial, and while I may be stretching the definition a bit, I believe our histories would fall into the 'material' category."

"Why's that?" Jay asks, tilting his head to the side. "I mean, the only real, physical part of history is what's written in the books, right?"

"I… I apologize. I do not have any evidence to support this, I am merely working on what I feel to be true in that regard."

"Do not worry if it is confusing." Echo says reassuringly. "I do not understand what my brother is saying either."

"No, I think I get it… It has to do with your future vision, right?" Jay asks, looking thoughtful. "It's been awhile since you've seen anything…"

"It is only a feeling I have." Zane doesn't say anything about the second thing Jay said, and Cole notes that down in his head for future reference as well.

"Oh."

"So… you think we should go find this cure?" Lloyd looks over at Kai and Nya. "Do you think it'll affect their elemental powers?"

"I do not know." Zane shakes his head. "But I can always have Pixal analyze whatever it is that we find before we use it."

"Don't we get a say in this?" Nya asks. "I'm still not sure this is such a good idea."

"No, sis, I-… I think they have a point." Kai admits begrudgingly.

"What?! Kai, I thought you'd at least be on my side-"

"I'm always on your side, Nya, but if this… whatever it is, is also hurting the people around us, I'd rather know I did everything in my power to stop it."

"I…" She sighs, before nodding. "You're right."

"Okay, so, we know _what_ we're doing." Cole says, sounding a bit more grounded and in charge, even as he tells himself not to take control of the situation. "But do we know _where_ we're going?"

"We have a clue for where to start searching." Zane nods. "The village where the medicine woman lived. If she passed down her secrets to her successors, there could be a chance that they may know the secret to the cure."

"Alright then… when do we leave?"

"Now." Kai says. "This really isn't something that can wait."

"But I haven't finished helping Ronin upgrade REX, yet." At a look from her brother, she quickly backtracks with a laugh. "I-I mean, I need to tell him that it'll have to wait until later."

"Alright, ninja." Lloyd says, standing up and drawing everyone's attention. "Let's get ready to move."

End chapter one


	3. Chapter 2

"Honestly, I know Dareth is only doing his job, but did he have to do it so well? We can barely act as ninja with so many eyes following our every move." They'd arrived in the village, which was now a bustling city, and were trying to figure out the best way to find the person they were looking for without causing a ruckus. "We'll draw less attention if we split up."

" _Great_ …" Jay sighs.

"Since there are six of us," Cole goes on as if Jay hadn't said anything at all. "we should split into groups of two."

"Yeah, that didn't really work out before, Cole. I mean, I know you don't remember, but we were all captured. By Ronin. And thrown in jail."

"We aren't wanted criminals this time, Jay, and we aren't evading the authorities." He assures the other exasperatedly. "Come on, Zane, we'll start in the northern part of the city."

The master of earth and the master of ice walk off, leaving the others to figure out how to split up among themselves. Lloyd, Kai, Nya, and Jay all look at each other.

"Nya?" Jay asks hopefully.

"I think I'm going to join Lloyd, actually. If we were found together the media would have a field day with it."

"Oh… uh, yeah, I guess that wouldn't be good?"

"Come on, lover boy." Kai says with a pitying sigh. "We'll start in the western half of the city."

* * *

"Hey, Zane, can I ask you a question?"

"I believe you already have, Cole."

"Yeah, very funny." Cole rolls his eyes. He misses the days before Zane understood sarcasm and how to use it. "Listen, I was just wondering… is there something more to this? Like, Kai and Nya possibly screwing with reality without realizing it, I mean."

Zane doesn't answer at first, then he quietly says.

"I think I may have an idea as to how their powers may work."

"Really? Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Because I am… worried." Zane looks up at the sky, but rather than studying the clouds, he appears to be lost in thought. "If I am right, it puts something into question that would be rather… unfortunate, if true. I am not sure how they would all react, and if I am wrong, I do not want to be the cause of contention."

"That sounds heavy." Cole agrees, moving his own gaze to the sky above them. "Care to share the load? I'm pretty strong, you know."

To help prove his point, the ghost flexes one of his arms.

"I think you have been spending too much time with Jay." Zane chuckles.

 _Yeah, but no matter how good a friend I try to be, it never seems to be enough. I just can't bridge the gap that's formed between us._

Cole swallows the bitter feeling trying to well up and forces himself to focus on the moment, even as he feels his fingers itching to grab one of the candied apples from the street cart they'd just passed.

 _Wait, candied apples? It's been way too long since I'd had one-_

"I'll start with how I think their powers work." Cole is brought back into the moment by Zane's voice, giving his friend his full attention and promising himself he'd come back to grab a candied apples later, maybe with Jay, if he could get the blue ninja away from Nya for more than a minute.

* * *

"How long are you going to remain here?" Echo asks the criminal who had made himself comfortable in the ninja's flying home, the Bounty.

"Until they finish whatever 'urgent business' that stopped Nya from helping me work on REX."

"We do not know how long it will take." Echo could probably make an estimate on how long it would take the six ninja to sweep the whole city, but the ninja had almost all shown some sort of distaste for the man, and he trusted Jay's and his brother's judgment at least (he didn't know the other's well enough to gauge them on trust worthiness), so he did not want the criminal to stay any longer than necessary. "I can contact you as soon as they are done, if you want."

"Geez, really?" The man says in an odd tone. "That's so kind of you, but I couldn't ask you to go to so much trouble."

"It is no trouble at all, I assure you."

"Nope. I think I'll just stay here." He glances down the hall that leads to where Sensei Wu is drinking tea in the dining room. "Or maybe I'll _explore_ a little bit."

"I do not think that is a good idea. Some of the rooms here are private and I do not think the others would appreciate you looking around them without their explicit permission."

"How do you know I don't have their 'explicit permission' Rust bucket?" Ronin makes sure to make quotation marks with his fingers, so that his words wouldn't be misunderstood.

"I… do not." He admits.

"So then under what authority do you think you can stop me?"

"The ninja left me in charge of the ship while they were away." He says proudly. "I am to watch over it until they return, or guide it to wherever they are, should the need arise."

"Yeah, yeah…" Ronin rolls his eyes, opening the first door he comes across. "Closet."

"I think you should have your eyes checked."

"Excuse me? Just what about a tiny room full of mops, brooms, buckets, and rags makes you think this isn't a closet?"

"Oh, I did not mean to say you were wrong about that. I just meant that, since you have confused me with both a can and now a bucket, that perhaps your vision could use some… assistance."

Ronin just shakes his head and moves onto the next door.

"Bunkbeds? What are they, five?" He snorts and steps into the room. "I'm surprised they haven't color coded the sheets."

"I believe the bunk beds are to save on space." Echo trails in behind Ronin, stops at one of the bunks, and gestures to the lower bed. "Since Lloyd was not sharing his with anyone, I was given this bunk."

"So you get to have an endless sleep over with five annoying do-gooders. I am so happy for you."

"Thank you…?"

"Did they really not teach you sarcasm?"

"What are you doing?" Echo is instantly by Ronin's side, who has a book in his hands.

"Nothing."

"That does not look like nothing. That looks exactly like something."

"Wow, why don't you have a Nobel prize yet?"

"I do not know what a no-bell prize is, but I do not have need of bell-less prizes, just put that back where you found it."

"Are you pulling my chain?"

"I was not aware you had a chain."

"You're pulling my chain."

"Are you going to put that back?"

"I will, I will… when I'm done with it."

Ronin dodges Echo's first attempt to grab the book.

"That is not good enough!" Echo gives the criminal a serious look. "Put it back now or I will make you."

"You'll _make_ me?" Ronin raises an eyebrow at the bronze nindroid. "And how, exactly, will you _make_ me when you can't _catch_ me?"

"Catch-?" In the blink of an eye the window is thrown open and Ronin is gone. Echo rushes over, scanning the air below them until… there! Ronin gliding away. "Do not think this is over you fiend!"

Echo steps away from the window, pauses, then softly says to himself.

"But how am I supposed to give chase without leaving the Bounty unprotected?"

* * *

"Man…" Cole breathes out a long sigh. "I just… you're right. It puts almost everything into question."

"So what do you think? Should we tell the others?"

"I… No. I think you were right to keep quiet about this. If you're wrong, and I really, truly hope you are wrong, telling the others would only cause more problems."

"And what if I'm right?"

"Then…" Cole sighs again, running a hand over his face. "Then we're going to have to do some major damage control."

End chapter two


	4. Chapter 3

"You'd think a 'medicine woman' would stand out more." Nya sighs.

"Well, maybe we're thinking about things a little too literally?" Lloyd suggests, looking at the notebook where he'd written all the places they'd visited. "Maybe we should start looking at, like, drugs stores or something."

"I don't know…"

"What could the harm be?" Lloyd flips his notebook closed. "I mean, we already checked that 'herbal remedies' store."

"I guess you have a point."

"Get off me you crazy robot!"

"I have finally caught you, fiend!"

Nya and Lloyd both stop, look at each other, then towards the direction of the yelling.

"Should we go see what Ronin is doing?"

"Ah… yeah. We probably shouldn't just ignore it."

With that decided, the two set off.

There was a large crowd gathered, the sound of camera shutters going off and excited chattering fills the air. It takes some work for them to get to the center, but when they do the sight that greets them is not what they expected.

Ronin and Echo where wrestling… and Echo appears to have the upper hand at the moment.

"Just what is going on here?!" Nya demands, causing the two to pause to look up at her.

"Hey, Nya, what a surprise running into you here." Ronin manages to say casually despite the headlock that Echo has him in.

"Hello, Nya. Hello, Lloyd." Echo greets them with a smile. "There is no need to worry, I have caught this fiend."

"Echo, let him go." Nya admonishes the nindroid, who looks torn.

"But…"

" _Now_."

"You do not understand-" The nindroid tries to explain, only to be cut off by Nya harshly saying.

"You are _causing_ a _scene_."

After a moment of hesitation the nindroid lets go. Ronin springs to his feet, dusts himself off, and straightens his clothes. Meanwhile Lloyd helps Echo to stand up.

"Thanks, Nya." Ronin gives the master of water a charming smile. "I have no idea what got into that bucket of bolts."

"You know perfectly well why I was chasing you!" Echo insists. "Unless your memory is as poor as your vision. In which case, let me remind you that I was merely trying to get the book you took back."

"Wait, you took something?" Lloyd turns to the criminal, who puts on an innocent look.

"I have no idea what he's talking about. I don't have any books on me." He holds his arms out. "You can check me if you want."

"You must have hidden it somewhere." The green ninja decides.

"Let's not be so hasty." Nya tries to smooth over. "I mean, Echo isn't exactly…"

"I am not what, exactly?" The bronze nindroid inquires.

Suddenly there's a microphone shoved into their faces and professional cameras seem to appear from the wall of flesh surrounding them.

"Zane, why did you change your colors?"

"I am Echo Zane."

"Let me explain." Lloyd sighs. "This is Zane's younger brother, Echo."

"And how does a nindroid have a younger brother?"

"They were made by the same person, obviously."

"So, have you joined the battle for Nya's heart?"

"…What?"

"You two were on a date before the commotion started."

"We were not on a date!" Nya quickly yells. "We were investigating!"

"Is that what you tell Jay?"

" _Excuse_ me?"

"Several sources have said that you have cheated on the blue ninja several times."

"I am not a cheater!" She yells before drenching both the reporter and the camera man with water. "Good luck spreading your lies with water logged equipment!"

" _Nya_!" Lloyd hisses.

Echo moves to stand in front of the two drenched people.

"I would rather not fight a friend, but if you continue this reckless behavior I will have no choice but to fight you."

"She wasn't attacking them, _right_ _Nya_?" Lloyd gives the master of water a serious look, hoping she'd see reason and back down. Dareth was going to have a field day with this, and Lloyd just hoped he could convince the man not to try and include him in that stupid love triangle, but first they need to keep the media from reporting that Nya had assaulted the paparazzi.

"They're lucky that's all I did!" At her words Echo moves into a fighting stance.

"Nya, you need to calm down and go back to the ship." Nya seems like she's going to say something, so the green ninja goes on. "That's an order."

"A… an order?" She scoffs. "And what makes you think you can order me around?!"

"Because I'm the leader of the ninja." Lloyd's quickly losing his temper. How did Cole put up with the constant insubordination and flippant attitudes of the others for so long? "And as the leader, I have full authority to tell an out of control ninja to _go_ _home_."

"Well… well I never wanted to join your stupid boys club, anyway!" She turns and storms off, the crowd parting for her as she approached.

Ronin glances at the two before quickly moving to follow after the master of water.

Lloyd sighs, turns to find Echo was doing his best to help the reporter and the camera man in drying their equipment off.

"Echo."

"Yes?"

"Come on, let's go back to the ship."

"Oh, yes, of course." He moves to stand before the green ninja. "After we find the book that fiend took."

Lloyd wants to bash his head into the nearest wall.

"Forget the book, Echo. If it's important we can look for it later."

"I see. Alright."

The nindroid looks a bit disappointed, which did make Lloyd feel a little bad, but they don't have time to scour the city for some random book. Hopefully it isn't important.

* * *

"Hey, Kai?" Jay says, staring up and out of the window of the shop they were in.

"What?" Kai asks irritably. Jay had insisted they check the antique shop, even though the master of fire was sure it would be a dead end, and now he wasn't even bothering to pay attention?

"Doesn't that look like the Bounty?" Jay laughs a little nervously. "I mean, we told Echo to keep it hidden, so there's no way it's the Bounty, but doesn't it look… pretty much exactly like the Bounty?"

"Sorry about wasting your time." Kai tells the cashier before he steps up to the window next to Jay and follows his gaze. What he sees doesn't exactly register with his brain at first, but when it does he curses.

The Bounty was flying over the city, weaving back and forth wildly without any rhyme or reason to it.

"Uh, Jay, I'm fairly certain that _is_ the Bounty!" Kai yells before turning and running out of the store.

The master of lightning is on his heels in seconds as he begins to make a B-line for the ship.

"What d'you think happened?" Jay asks once their relatively even. "Did someone attack the ship?"

"I can't imagine any other reason this would happen." Kai answers, before he begins to quickly scale the side of a building. He can hear the whispers starting already, his fans recognizing his amazing moves, and he feels himself smile at the thought. He goes a little bit overboard, showing off by throwing in pointless flips he knows that other ninja would all have trouble with.

He was the best free runner, after all, out of their group. Zane had stealth, Cole had strength, Jay had speed, but Kai, he had his agility. He'd be damned if he let anyone, even his sister, take that from him.

Once they were running on the rooftops (with a crowd of his adoring fans trying to follow them on the streets below), he begins to look for any route that was not only in the ship's veering path, but would also take them up high enough to actually get on the ship.

"This way!" He decides on the high rise not too far from them. If the ship didn't make any drastic turns, then it'd be their best bet.

They reach the top of the high rise just as the ship nears, Kai doesn't hesitate to jump, and as he rises out of his landing roll, he turns to see Jay still on the high rise as the ship starts to turn away. While Kai's first thought is that the other hesitated, he seems to be looking at something below.

"Jay!" Kai calls out, startling the other, who seems to panic when he notices how far the ship is from the building now. "Use your airjiztu, stupid!"

"I knew that!" Jay huffs, quickly taking off and landing on the ship next to the red ninja. "And don't call me stupid."

Before he can answer, the ship turns violently to the left, throwing both ninja off balance, causing them fall into the railing.

The two share a worried look before they quickly right themselves and head further into the ship. They stealthily make their way further in (like a game of ninja leap frog, Jay notes, because one of them will move forward and then the other), until they find Wu calmly drinking tea in the dining room.

"Sensei, what's going on?" Kai asks urgently. "Where's the enemy?"

"Enemy?" Wu asks. "Are we being attacked?"

"The ship is swaying like its being piloted by a drunken pirate!" Jay exclaims. "How can you not know what's going on?!"

"Oh, that." Sensei Wu takes another, long sip of his tea. "I believe that is Echo's doing."

"Echo?" Jay sounds confused, then snorts. "Uh, I made _sure_ he knew how to pilot the ship before we left, though."

"He left some time ago." Another sip of tea. "I believe he left his little friend in charge until he returned."

"Little friend…?" Jay thinks for a moment before realization, then horror, takes over his features. "TAI-D? The cleaning robot? The cleaning robot is piloting the ship?!"

With that the master of lightning spins on heel and runs out of the dining room like a bat out of hell, to the bridge no doubt. Kai, meanwhile, turns to their sensei and asks.

"Why didn't you stop him… it? Whatever. Why didn't you do anything?"

"We were not in danger." Is all the sensei says on the matter, as he takes several sips of his tea, until his cup is empty, and then proceeds to pour himself another glass.

Sometimes Kai wonders if it was possible to be addicted to tea...

He can feel the ship evening out and slowing down, so Jay must have stopped the mechanical menace, and just in time, as Lloyd and Echo appear, looking just as worried as Kai had been when he'd first seen the Bounty veering back and forth.

"False alarm." He assures them. "Although I don't think we should trust Echo to watch the ship anymore."

The nindroid in question gives him this look, like he's just kicked a puppy (or like he _is_ the puppy Kai just kicked) and sadly says.

"I am sorry my actions have caused you all trouble."

Lloyd sighs, shakes his head, and moves to leave.

"I'm going to go meditate."

"Lloyd, wait!" Kai calls. "Where's Nya?"

"I don't know." Lloyd huffs. "Echo can tell you what happened, he was there."

"I can." The nindroid eagerly agrees.

Lloyd leaves without another word, and Kai turns to the bronze nindroid, who begins to recount the events leading up to their current situation.

* * *

"Well, that's the last building." Cole sighs. "No medicine woman, no cure, now what?"

"I did come up with a backup plan in case we could not find them. But there is no guarantee that it will work… and if it does not, there is no way to know for sure what will happen."

"What is it?"

"A placebo."

"A… are you sure that'd even work?"

"Jay claimed that belief played a significant role in the power of the wishes. While it might not fix everything…"

"It could fix at least a few things?"

"Yes. But we cannot let any of the other's know it is not real."

"What? Why not?"

"Because the belief applies to both the djinn and the victim. If we really want to find out what is real and what is not, the others cannot know. They have to believe the cure is real."

"Oh… and, uh, what about me?" Cole gives a sad little chuckle. "I mean, I know it won't be real, so if I'm affected by a wish, then…"

"Cole." Zane stops and turns to face his friend, giving him a serious look. "The answer is simple."

"It is?"

"Yes." Zane turns to continue walking. "Do not let your desires control you, and believe in yourself."

"That's it?"

"Does there need to be any more?"

Cole doesn't answer. The silence settles over them until Zane suddenly moves away and heads down a nearby alley.

"Uh, Zane? Where are you going?"

"I saw something… ah, I thought so." The titanium nindroid comes back holding what looks like… a normal book.

"Ok. It's a book. Why'd you decide to grab it?"

"It is Jay's." Zane says simply, as if it were obvious.

"And how can you tell?"

"This dent here in the spine." He moves the book to show Cole. "I once startled him while he was writing in it, and the book ended up getting dented when he dropped it."

"I'm surprised you knew it well enough to recognize it from the corner of your eye, while it was hidden in the shadows of some alley." Zane glance's away from the other, a rather guilty look crossing his face. "Uh, is there _another_ reason you know it so well?"

The master of ice sighs.

"I… may have read its contents without Jay's knowledge or consent." He looks down at the cover, a pensive look crossing his face.

"Wow, I'm actually kind of shocked." Cole raises his eyebrows at the other. "I never knew you had it in you… so what's in it?"

"Runes."

"…what?" Cole had expected Zane to tell him that, while what he did was bad, that showing or telling another about what Jay had written would be even worse.

"It is filled with runes." Zane flips it open to a random page filled with odd symbols. "I will admit, I at first was just curious where Jay had learned how to write in them… but when he told me I was seeing things and claimed not to have seen any of the runes I showed him, my curiosity got the better of me."

"Oh, I get it." Cole laughs. "He didn't want any of us to read it, so he decided to use a code. Only he didn't think about the fact that you have an interest in linguistics, and he got so flustered when you asked that he lied about the whole thing! Classic jay."

"Yes… that could be one reason." Zane nods. "I suppose he might want to keep what he wrote secret from even his parents."

"Why would he-?" Cole cuts himself off when he glances up, only to see the Bounty high above them in the sky. "What?"

"I think it would be best if we returned to the ship for now."

"Yeah."

End chapter three


	5. Chapter 4

Jay huffs, agitation itching under his skin as the memory replays in his head.

That brief moment, that little glimpse, of her, of him, of _them_. Together, laughing, alone.

Nya and Ronin.

Ronin and Nya.

He bites his lip, sparks of pain dancing in his mind, he lets go.

The others are talking. Going over everything that happened. He needs to focus.

 _Liar._

Sensei Wu was saying something.

 _She said she loved_ _ **me**_ _._

Echo is saying something. Apologizing. Zane's giving him an understanding look, putting a hand on his shoulder, saying something in response.

 _When I see him again, I'll make sure Ronin knows perfectly well that she chose_ _ **me**_ _and that he needs to back off._

Echo is pulling something up on the screen at Wu's request. A familiar looking shop.

"A tea shop?" He asks, only vaguely aware of what's going on. "How, exactly, is that going to help?"

They give him a strange look and embarrassment quickly builds as he realizes that they must have already explained that. The agitation bubbles, crackling like electricity, and he snaps.

"Would you stop looking at me like that!?"

"Dude, calm down." Cole says, taken aback.

 _Liars. He's surrounded by liars._

He forces himself to laugh, false as it sounds, and gives them an apologetic smile.

"S-sorry… I just…" _I hate you. I hate you. I hate you._ "I didn't really get much sleep last night, so I'm a little on edge."

Crackle. Snap. Buzzing agitation under his skin, in his mind, circling the same wires without an outlet.

"Jay." Zane says evenly. "Perhaps it would be best if you went and rested. You do not look well, and there is still some time before we arrive."

"Yeah," Cole agrees, giving Jay a worried look. "I'll wake you when we get there."

The thought of laying down, of sitting in silence with only his thoughts to keep him company, fills him with dread.

"N-no!" Wait, that sounded wrong. "I mean, ah, that'd just mess up my sleeping patterns, you know? I'll be fine."

They look ready to push it, then Nya and Ronin walk in, the criminal letting the door bang against the wall and cause a ruckus.

It takes every ounce of self-restraint he has not to jump up from his seat, but stand up calmly and (relatively) calmly ask.

"Nya, what were you doing with Ronin? I thought you were going to search the city with Lloyd."

She rolls her eyes, annoyance clear in her expression.

"We were just hanging out." She gives Echo an annoyed look as well. "Thanks to a certain someone, our search was pretty much over, anyway."

The bronze nindroid looks down at his feet, chastised.

"I do not think," Zane says clearly, a look of cold anger on his face. "that you have any right to point fingers after you attacked a civilian."

"I'm not pointing fingers!" She glares at the titanium nindroid for a moment before turning a sweet smile on the blue ninja. "Jay, back me up here."

"Zane…" Without even a moment of hesitation he turns to the master of ice. "She kind of has a point."

"I don't think you should get involved in this, Jay." Cole says, stepping forward and putting a hand on the other's shoulder. "You aren't exactly a neutral party."

"Uh, if you hadn't noticed, Zane isn't a neutral party, either."

"That's different."

"Different how?!" Jay demands with a scoff. "Because he's a nindroid? I don't think so."

"Because Zane isn't-"

" _Cole_." Zane says forcefully, trying to stop the master of earth midsentence, to no avail.

"-being manipulated by some stupid wish!"

"What?" Jay's taken off guard by the reply. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't love Nya." He grabs the other's shoulders, giving him a look full of determination. "This is all the effects of some wish."

"You're crazy." Jay laughs, but it's completely devoid of any humor. "You can't wish for love, Cole."

"You're obsessed with her, Jay." Pity fills his gaze. "Think about it. You hardly talk about anything but her, you haven't invented anything for months unless she's somehow involved, and even then she's the one in charge of everything…"

Snap.

 _Break him._

"Y-you're… You're just jealous!" He pushes the other away from him (which he can only do because Cole wasn't using his super strength to hold him in place), and gives the other the most poisonous glare he can muster. "You never got over the fact that she didn't choose you!"

"Jay…" His gaze is sad… sad, but understanding, and the agitation buzzing under Jay's skin is now crackling in the air around him. Cole's eyes widen in surprise. "J-Jay, calm down. I don't like Nya that way, I _never_ did. That obsession you're feeling? I felt it, then, too."

" _Shut_ _up_!" crackle, buzz, pop. The lights go out, the ship lets out a groan, shutters, his stomach knots as he feels them start to go down. To _plummet_.

 _Oh, god, I did this. I shorted out the wires in the ship._

Panic, fear, regret, regret, regret… He can't breathe anymore, everyone's moving, shouting, he can't hear it over the buzzing in his head.

He can't breathe, blackness encroaches on his vision, and he feels weak.

* * *

"Echo, I need your help!"

"o-of course, brother!"

"Go to the left engine and keep it running no matter what!"

"I will do my best!"

At his brother's behest, Echo takes off. He knows what the other nindroid expects of him, and he is more than happy to be useful once more, to prove that he can be relied on to protect those who cannot protect themselves.

He just hopes that his power will be enough to keep the engine running long enough to get them away from the city.

* * *

Ronin can hear the ninja of fire scoff as he jumps ship and glides away to a nearby building. No doubt he thought Ronin a self-serving coward.

Well, it's not like that's entirely wrong…

With his usual whistle, he summons REX and quickly climbs aboard. He directs it to fly over the Bounty, then lowers the hook, along with himself, and attaches it to the railing on the bow of the ship. Another whistle and REX is pulling up on the ship, helping to delay the crash, since his girl wasn't powerful enough to carry the whole thing on her own.

He winces as he thinks of the strain this would put on REX's engine.

"Sorry, girl." He says softly. "And you just got new engines, too."

Ronin watches the city go by underneath them, estimating their landing, and is satisfied to note that, if they kept this up, they'd clear the city by a mile or two. Climbing the rope, he gets into the driver's seat and buckles up. This was going to be a bumpy landing, and he didn't fancy being thrown around.

* * *

It's the cacophony of clattering metal and rustling paper that brings Jay back to his senses. He jolts up, hitting his head on something, and curses. The whole place around him is shuddering, rumbling, and he feels dizzy.

Glancing around him, he's sure of one thing. He's in his 'laboratory' (really just the room the others' had restricted his inventing to, since he had a bad habit of covering every surface available when inventing). The lose bits of metal, half-finished inventions, and blueprint paper were scattered everywhere.

Carefully moving out from under the desk (just when had he gotten under it?), he looks around.

He'd barely spent any time in here anymore.

Picking up a random piece of paper, he looks over the blueprints he'd carefully drawn onto it. He remembered being so excited about it, but he'd been interrupted by… by Nya… before he could write any information down, and now he didn't even remember what it was meant to do.

 _ **You're obsessed.**_

 _Shut up…_

He has to push aside a machine that had been broken by the fall. He remembered this one, it was meant to stop a person from having nightmares. He'd stopped working on it when Nya had jokingly said it was ridiculous to think it'd ever work.

 _ **You never loved her.**_

 _Stop it…_

There's a stupid poem he wrote on the back of one of the blueprints. He'd wrote that after Nya had told him he didn't have to pretend to be anyone else.

 _ **You're obsessed.**_

 _I just wanted to be normal…_

It was violently scribbled out. He'd done it the first time she'd told him he could use some work, and asked him to change.

 _ **This is all due to some wish.**_

 _I wanted them to be proud of me…_

His parents were so happy when he'd brought her home. It was all they'd talk about whenever they called. He'd finally found a nice girl, just like they always said he would, and now he'd be able to have a perfect, happy life like they did.

 _ **You're obsessed.**_

 _I can't do this anymore._

 **Then let me ease your burden.**

End chapter four


	6. Chapter 5

"Thanks for the help, Ronin." Nya says as soon as the criminal walks on deck.

"Yeah, well, looks like you lot owe me yet again." Ronin smirks.

"Would you just shut up about that?" Kai growls. "I bet you were only thinking of yourself, anyway."

"So what if I was?" Ronin shrugs. "You still owe me."

Kai looks like he's going to argue, but Lloyd puts a hand on the red ninja's shoulder and says.

"We don't have time for this right now." He turns to Cole and Zane. "Right now we need to talk about what happened before with Jay."

Cole guiltily looks over to Zane, who sighs and begins to explain.

"I hypothesized that Jay's feelings for Nya were the effects of a wish. I was not certain if it was true, so I decided it would be for the best that I kept it to myself for now." He gives Cole a disappointed look. "Cole noticed that I was not entirely forthcoming, though, and so I told him. I had thought since we agreed it was best not to unduly worry everyone that he would not say anything until after we had found the cure."

"I-… I'm sorry." Cole sighs. "I just-, he's my best friend. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."

"Yes, well, you mentioned having to do some 'major damage control' before. I suppose that starts now."

"Yeah… you're right…" Cole looks around. "Uh, does anybody know where he is, by the way?"

No one knew, unsurprisingly. They'd all been distracted by the imminent threat, by trying to keep the city and who knows how many people, from being crushed under the weight of their ship.

"Well, he's probably somewhere on the ship." Cole shrugs. "Shouldn't be that hard to find him."

Cole had been right; finding Jay was easy. He was just in his self-proclaimed laboratory. Getting him to open the door, or respond to them, was the hard part.

"Jay! Please, man, just say something!"

"Cole, it has been an hour." Zane puts a placating hand on the other's shoulder. "I do not think he intends to respond."

"I… I'm going in there." Cole doesn't wait for the nindroid to respond before he phases through the door.

Zane waits a moment, thinking that perhaps the ghost would open the door for him, but the door doesn't open, and eventually he hears their muted voices through the door.

"Jay? Hey, uh, are you ok?"

There's a low mumble, Jay's normally boisterous voice too quiet to make out what he's saying.

"I- uh, are… are you sure?"

A laugh, unmistakably Jay's, before he says.

"Yeah, Cole, I'm sure."

"Oh… Why didn't you answer before?"

Back to the mumbling.

"Well, uh, if you need anything, we're all here for you."

And with that Cole steps back outside (using the door like a normal person, instead of going through it like a ghost), and gives Zane a bemused look.

"What did he say?" The master of ice asks, curious about their exchange.

"He said I was right… and that he was fine. That he was just thinking about things, so lost in thought, apparently, that he didn't even hear us out here."

"And do you believe that?"

"No." Cole sighs. "Not a word of it… but he wasn't acting like he was before so…"

"You think we should give him some space for now?"

"Yeah."

"I suppose that there is nothing we can do if he is not willing to talk to us." The two are quiet for a minute. "We should probably go help the others in examining the extent of the damage to the ship."

* * *

"Hey, Kai?" Nya asks tentatively.

"Yeah, sis?" Kai turns away from the charred ceiling he'd been examining. They'd already swept up the glass, but the broken bulb's base was still in the socket (or whatever it was called, Kai didn't really care about the semantics), and he had yet to think of a good way to remove it.

"Do you think..." She hesitates. "Do you think there's a chance Jay still wants to be with me?"

"Um…" Kai rubs the back of his neck.

"I mean, after all this time, it's possible he could have developed feelings for me outside of what the wish made him feel, right?"

"Nya."

"I mean, after I finally decided to be with him, this happens?" She huffs. "Don't I get a say in _anything_?"

Kai struggles to find the right words to say. He still dislikes the thought of his little sister dating, even if Jay was an alright guy, but after everything that had happened… What was he supposed to say?

"Do either of you need assistance?" Kai couldn't be more relieved at the bronze nindroid's timely appearance.

"Yeah, actually." The master of fire says, gesturing to the ceiling. "Any ideas on how to get that out without hurting ourselves?"

"Potatoes." Echo says almost immediately.

"Potatoes…?" Kai questioned, raising one eyebrow at the other.

"Yes."

"Alright, care to explain? Because honestly I'm about ready to go tell Zane his little brother needs to be checked for viruses or his software is out of date or something."

"You use a potato to remove it."

"Alright, then, Zane it is."

"Was my answer not clear enough?"

"About as clear as mud."

"But mud is not clear."

"That's the point."

"That does not make any sense. Unless… you have seen clear mud?"

Kai sighs. The nindroid was following him now. Between his sister's questions and the nindroid's, he wasn't sure whose were worse.

* * *

It wasn't until dinner time that Jay made an appearance. Unfortunately Ronin had decided to join them for the little affair, but he was currently in the kitchen, annoying the two nindroids while Zane taught his brother to cook.

"Jay!" Nya is the first to approach him, and he freezes as she walks up. Cole curses, wishing the girl would just leave things be for now.

"Oh, uh, hey, Nya…"

She stops in front of him and gives him a sad look.

"You don't hate me, do you?" She asks.

"What? Why would I hate you?"

"Well, because Kai and I are part djinn… and because of that awful wish."

"I don't hate you."

Ok, this is going well so far, so if she just leaves it at that-

"I still love you." Great.

"O-oh?"

"Of course." She grabs his hand, gives him a little smile and bats her eyes. "We can still be together."

"I, uh, I don't know what to say." Jay gives a little nervous laugh, carefully taking his hand out of Nya's hold. She looks a tad put off by that, but goes on anyway.

"You only need to say yes, Jay."

"H-how about 'I'm gay?'"

Oh, was that Kai choking on his drink?

"What?"

"I'm gay." He repeats, looking at everything but the girl before him.

"Hello, Jay." Echo says cheerfully from the doorway. "I am glad to hear you are so happy."

"He didn't mean he was happy." Ronin says, trying to contain his chuckles as he throws an arm around the nindroid's shoulders. "What he means is that he likes to plow dudes."

"Plow…?" The nindroid looks confused. "Is Jay a farmer?"

"Well- _ohf_!" The criminal is cut off by Zane appearing and elbowing him hard in the stomach.

"Do not listen to him, Echo, he does not know what he's talking about."

"Oh. So Jay is happy?"

"Gay is another way of saying homosexual."

"I will file that away for future reference."

"What…" Ronin wheezed from the floor. "What happened to protecting those who can't fight back?"

"You are a very capable fighter and I do not protect criminals." Echo cheerfully tells him. "Also, it is 'protect those who cannot protect themselves.'"

Cole glances away from the trio, worried about Jay's reaction, only to notice that the blue ninja was gone once more. He couldn't help the disappointment that welled up, along with the annoyance at Ronin's crass behavior. On the other hand, there's Nya, who was still standing where she'd been before, apparently shell shocked at the master of lightning's confession.

Well… Cole honestly hadn't expected this turn of events, either, so he couldn't blame her for being so shocked that her (now ex) boyfriend is gay.

 _I better go make sure he's alright._

Cole's stomach gave an unhappy rumble, as the smells wafting out of the kitchen were promising a truly delicious meal.

 _Later._ He promised it. _Besides, if Echo turns out to be as good a chef as Zane, then there'll be even more good food to look forward to later on._

Wait, what was he doing? Oh, right, Jay.

Man, he needed to stop letting food distract him so much…

End chapter five


	7. Chapter 6

"Hey, Jay?" Cole knocks on the door lightly. "Can I come in?"

No reply.

"I'm coming in."

It's the second time today that he's fazed through the door to Jay's laboratory. Only, instead of finding the master of lightning sitting at the desk, tapping out an unknown rhythm with his fingers as he stared pensively at the wall, he finds the other _under_ the desk, legs pulled up close to his chest with his face buried in his knees.

Cole doesn't say anything at first, he just sits down nearby and waits.

As his stomach growls for the third time in so many minutes, Jay moves just enough to peek out at him. Taking that as his que to start, Cole gives the other an encouraging smile and says.

"Hey." Which is honestly the best he could think of at the moment.

Jay sighs, burying his face back in his knees, then mumbles something.

"What was that?"

"I _said_ hay is for horses." Cole doesn't respond at first, so Jay glances up at him curiously. "What?"

"I just wasn't expecting you to start making jokes…" He'd expected one of Jay's classic freak outs, especially about something that was so personal.

"This… well, no, I can't say I ever imagined telling you all." He picks at a loose thread in his pants. "So… how'd the others take it?"

"Fine." He didn't actually know that, especially considering Kai and Nya's reactions, but he wasn't going to tell Jay that. He'd just go talk to them before Jay and hopefully sort out this whole mess. "They were more curious about whether Ronin did anything to dinner or not."

Jay doesn't say anything to that. Cole doesn't know if the other believes him or not, so he just moves onto another subject.

"You know, my dad is friends with a few gay guys." Jay glances over at him, but the look is guarded, so Cole tries to choose his words carefully. "I'm not really sure who is or isn't, though, because aside from my dad mentioning it once, they don't really act any differently than any other guys."

"…Why'd your dad mention it to you?"

"I guess he thought it was weird that I hadn't had a girlfriend in all that time, so he pulled me aside and told me that." Cole shrugs, chuckling at the memory. "When I told him I just hadn't found anyone I was interested in, he seemed happy, because the _truly_ _great_ stars focus on their work or something."

Jay glances away, his gaze unfocused, and doesn't say anything. In fact, his entire face is devoid of emotion, and it's kind of creeping Cole out. Jay was always a high intensity person. For him to be so still, so unusually quiet…

"You're lucky." Jay says quietly.

"Huh?"

"…Never mind." Jay shakes his head, his gaze settled on one of the papers scattered all over the floor. Unlike the others, this one was torn in two. It was kind of strange, since he'd never seen Jay do that. He'd had a bad habit of saving every failure in case he thought of a solution to the problem later on.

A thought struck Cole just then.

"Uh… I know it's none of my business, but, Jay, have you even told your parents yet?" They hadn't seemed shocked that their gay son had brought home a girl, so the answer was probably no, but he had to ask.

A slow, owlish blink, and then Jay is shuffling forward, out from under the desk, and makes his way to the door with a simple.

"Dinner is ready."

"R-right." He probably shouldn't push it. Besides, at the mention of food his stomach gave out a huge rumble.

* * *

Zane was glad that Jay decided to come to dinner after all, even if he was alarmingly quiet. He'd given Cole a questioning look, but the black ninja just shook his head.

"I helped cook tonight." Echo proudly told the master of lightning.

"Oh?"

"Yes." He beamed. "Did you know that when a recipe calls for a cup of something it does not mean for you to use one of the cups that you drink from? There are 'special cups' that are solely for measuring things."

"That sounds fascinating."

"It is! There are also special spoons for measuring, as well. They come in tables and teas."

"Mhm."

"I have not found anything stating what measurements a tea pot would be, though."

"Yeah?"

Jay didn't appear to be listening at all (although Zane noted several things he'd have to correct his brother on, later). Zane glanced at the other members of the table.

Nya had started up a conversation with Ronin. Kai was caught between glowering at the criminal and talking with Lloyd, while Lloyd was equally distracted glancing over at Jay as well. Cole was focused almost entirely on his food, only sparing a few moment to glance over at the master of lightning. Sensei Wu had already finished eating and had started his third cup of tea. And then there was Echo, who was chatting happily at Jay, who didn't seem to be paying much attention to anything around him.

Zane, himself, did not quite understand the significance of gender specific attraction. Kai had seemed a bit perturbed after Cole had left, although he did not say anything about it, and once she had recovered from her shock, Nya had begun to mutter about unfairness and choices. He had wanted to ask about it, but he did not want to appear ignorant in front of his brother, and he did not trust Ronin to keep quiet.

"Hey, guys." Lloyd announces, suddenly. "We've been grounded for almost a day now. If we ever want to get that cure anytime soon, I think a couple of us should go ahead while the rest stay behind to fix the ship."

"Sound like a plan." Cole agrees. "But how should we decide?"

"Jay and Nya are obviously the best candidates to stay and fix the ship, so I think they should decide who they think would be the best help." Lloyd glances at the two, before wincing and says. "Uh, I mean, so long as you two don't have any problems working together."

"It's a pretty big ship." Ronin says lazily. "Even if they did have a problem, they'd just be able to work on opposite sides, right?"

"It's fine." Jay says, apparently unaffected by the criminal's behavior. "Right, Nya?"

"Y-yeah." She says unconvincingly.

"Ok…" Lloyd looks tired, aged beyond his years. "So do you need anyone's help?"

"Zane's pretty good with this stuff." Jay suggests.

"But, Zane knows the most about the cure and all of this stuff." Cole says.

"My brother also knows about it." Zane suggest.

"I do." Echo helpfully adds.

"Er..." an expression of trepidation appears on not only Cole's face, but Lloyd's and Kai's as well.

" _Actually_ ," Jay says, a playful expression appearing on his face. "It might be fun to have Echo be my assistant. He's like an adorable, clueless Zane!"

"I suppose I do not have any clues to help with this matter." Echo nods.

It was irrational for Zane to feel jealous about Jay choosing Echo over him even though he was the clearly superior choice (Echo still had much to learn after all). Besides, Jay made it clear he did not pick him because he thought the other would be helpful, but because he thought the other would be amusing to be around.

 _Perhaps that is why I am unhappy._

Shaking himself free of his thoughts, he turns to Lloyd just as the other announces.

"So it's decided then. Nya, Jay, _Ronin_ , and Echo will all stay here while the rest of us go ahead to Mistako's tea shop." His distaste for the criminal was clear in his tone. Zane must have missed him making another inane quip meant only to annoy.

"I am going to go to bed so that I will be fully recharged in the morning." Echo announces.

"…I hope he doesn't expect me to get up any earlier than usual." Jay says after the bronze nindroid has left.

"He has the right idea." Lloyd says. "Echo, I mean. We should all get some rest, since tomorrow's probably going to be a long day for all of us."

"Yeah, well, I've got dish duty, so maybe once that's done." Jay shrugs.

Zane hesitates momentarily when he remembered that, due to his infatuation, Jay had originally pushed to share his dish duty with Nya. But Jay hadn't seemed at all worried or apprehensive, though, so perhaps the titanium nindroid was just over thinking things.

He needed to prepare for the journey tomorrow.

"Well, it's been fun, but I think I'll be taking off-"

"Before you go." Jay cuts off Ronin's departing words to Nya (so obviously directed solely at Nya). "I was thinking, since you stayed for dinner, why don't you help with the dishes?"

"What? I save your asses and now you're going to force me to help clean up?"

"If you think about it," Jay says casually, leaning against the kitchen table. "You admitted that Echo didn't owe you anything, yet you still demanded payment from us. That would put _you_ in debt to _us_."

"…Fine. I'll give you that." The criminal frowns, crossing his arms. "But I _did_ just save your asses. We're even now."

"And we fed you dinner, so you owe us." Jay raised an eyebrow at the other, challenging him.

"You know, none of the articles about you ever said anything about doing your _dandiest_ to slack off on chores."

"I'm not. Nya can have the night off." Jay shrugs. "And I'm surprised that you actually read those teen mags."

"Well, I'm flattered that you apparently want to spend some _quality_ time with me, but I'll tell you right now I'm not interested."

"Wow, that's an image I'm not going to get out of my head for a while. Guess I should just forget about eating anytime soon." Jay shakes his head. "No, I just wanted to talk to you, man to man."

"Over dishes?" Nya can't help but pipe up. "Listen, Jay, I don't know what you're trying to accomplish here, but I don't need you getting me out of my responsibilities."

He stares at her for a long moment, chuckles, then turns back to Ronin.

"I guess we'll talk later." He starts heading for the door. "Oh, and you should know she purposely does a terrible job of washing so that you'll have to do it yourself!"

"…He seriously expects me to help?" Ronin scoffs.

"You don't have to help. I can always just use my powers to speed things up." Nya shrugs. "It's no big deal, really, you're a guest after all."

"Well, at least someone around here is sensible."

End chapter six


	8. Chapter 7

"I can't believe you flaked on helping me with the dishes yesterday!"

"What? Ronin didn't help you?"

"Ronin was a _guest_ , Jay."

"So then you just used your powers and finished it in seconds instead of the hour it takes us by hand."

"W-, T-that isn't the point!"

The table was silent, everyone uncertain how the conversation would turn out. Jay had never left Nya in want of anything before, so for him to suddenly leave her to do the dishes on her own was odd.

"If you felt so strongly about it, then why didn't you come get me?" Jay gives her an uncaring look, which just seemed so odd, after seeing him look at her with such reverence for so long.

"I…" Nya stutters, and in the wake of her hesitation, Jay turns back to his food, ending the conversation.

The master of water's face goes red with anger, and suddenly all the drinks become mini waterjets.

"Hey, watch it!" Cole yells, fear apparent as he's forced to flee the vicinity of the now soaking wet table.

"Sorry." Nya winces, giving the master of earth an apologetic look.

"I guess I'll be eating in the kitchen…" He sighs. "At least I grabbed my plate."

"Your first job of the day," Sensei Wu decides. "Will be to clean this up. Then you can work on the rest of the ship."

"What?" Jay whines. "But Echo and I are innocent!"

"I do not care who's 'fault' this is, you will all help to clean it up."

"Of course, sir." Echo says, already scurrying into the kitchen to grab the paper towels.

Somehow, without their notice, TAI-D had made his way into the room and was already drying the floors.

And so Kai, Lloyd, Cole, Zane, and Sensei Wu all started their journey off kilter, wondering just how things would go between the exes while they were gone.

* * *

"Alright," Jay exclaims around midday, standing up to stretch. "We've managed to get a lot done so far. I think we deserve a break."

"Yes, it would be unwise to skip a meal." Echo sets down the tool box he'd been carrying. "Would it be alright if I made something? After helping my brother, I would like to try and improve my skills even further."

"Eh… why don't we both work on it?" Jay suggests, remembering Echo's rather perilous grasp on measurements. "Besides, Ma always said food tastes best when it's made with others."

"I thought that love was supposed to be what made food taste good."

"Hm? Where'd you hear that?"

"I looked it up online. But when I looked up love, I only found dating sites, and those only seemed to be advertising people." Echo pauses, then looks at Jay with horror. "Unless _that_ is what love stands for?!"

"Wha-, no! _No!"_ Jay can't help but break out laughing at the nindroid's assumption. "Love just means you put your heart into it."

"My heart?" Echo opens up his chassis and looks down at all the gears and such, along with his power source. Jay couldn't help but find it interesting that it was similar to Zane's, only a golden amber color instead of an ice blue. "I do not think that is a wise idea."

"Let me rephrase that…" Stifling the last of his chuckles, Jay tries to think of the most straightforward way to put it, so that the nindroid wouldn't misunderstand. "It means that you put a lot of care and attention into making sure it turns out just right, usually because you care a lot about the people you're giving it to, but sometimes it's because you're so passionate about cooking."

"I see… Then brother must make all of his food with a lot of love."

"Does he?"

"Yes, he does. He knew every measurement without having to consult the cookbook, and was able to measure everything exactly, down to the gram."

 _Isn't that just because he's a nindroid?_

Jay doesn't say that to the other, because for all he knows, Zane really does put that much care into his food. It'd explain why it was always better than whatever Jay made, anyway, despite his years helping his Ma in the kitchen and cooking as a hobby.

"Alright then. So what do you feel like making?"

The nindroid thought long and hard about the question, before seeming to deflate.

"I cannot decide."

"Okay." Jay chuckles. "Why don't we make some cucumber sandwiches?"

"Alright. How do we make them?"

"It's pretty simple, actually."

* * *

Echo was enjoying spending time with Jay. The other was very knowledgeable about cooking, just like his brother. With Jay's help he'd be able to learn a lot and impress his brother for sure!

But, first, he had to make sure to put a lot of love into cutting these cucumbers.

"You don't have to be so careful about it, you know." Jay says with a little snort while cutting up some cucumbers of his own. "We're just going to eat it in the end."

"I want to add as much love as possible, just like my brother."

"Alright, then." Jay shakes his head, before turning back to his cutting board and freezing. "W-when?"

"Is there a problem?" Echo asks, curious about Jay's odd tone. The blue ninja is holding his right hand up, blood was running down his palm. "That is not good!"

He rushes over and ushers the other to the sink.

"Clean off your wound and I will find some bandages."

"They're on top of the fridge." He quickly goes over and gets the bag while Jay rinses the wound off. He returns and dumps it all out on the counter. "They're just in the metal box, buddy."

"Alright!" He holds up a fresh bandage triumphantly. "Give me your hand."

Jay holds it out and Echo pauses.

"…Where is the wound?" Had Jay somehow washed it away? But he'd never heard of that before…

"It's hard to see without all the blood, but its here." Jay indicates a little pink line on his finger.

"That is what caused all that blood to come out?"

"It really wasn't that much." Echo carefully applies the bandage, then looks Jay's hand over. Was it alright to only bandage one finger? What if the other ones got jealous? "Uh, Echo?"

"Yes, Jay?"

"Why are you grabbing more bandages?"

"For your other fingers." He stops himself from saying 'obviously', because his brother had explained to him that something that may seem obvious to some were not to others, and he should not feel bad because of that.

"My other fingers are fine, though, so they don't need any bandages."

Echo pauses, looking down at the bandage he'd already managed to open, and then at Jay's hands.

"Then one for the same finger on your other hand, so it does not feel left out."

"S-Sure…" He doesn't understand why Jay starts to shake with withheld laughter, but he decides to focus on making sure the ends of the bandage line up perfectly instead.

The doors to the kitchen bang open and Nya storms in, her gaze quickly settling on Jay, and she storms up to them.

"What'd you say to him?!"

"What are you talking about?" Jay appears to be confused.

"Ronin just took off, looking freaked out, and he refused to tell me why." She gets closer to Jay, until she is closer than Echo thinks would be comfortable. "Now _tell_ _me_ what you told him."

"I haven't said anything to Ronin all day." Jay says slowly. "I've been with Echo the entire time, right?"

"Yes, we have not separated for any significant length of time since breakfast."

"O-oh…" She steps back and gives Jay a bashful smile and bats her lashes. "I guess I was wrong, then."

"Yeah, now, if you'll excuse us." Jay turns back to the cutting board, ignoring Nya's shocked, then remorseful expression before she hurries out of the kitchen.

Echo isn't sure how to interpret that series of events, so he just follows Jay's example and goes back to cutting up the cucumbers.

* * *

It's late evening when they finally make it to the shop, the orange and pink of the sky already giving way to black. A quick glance at the hours and Lloyd can only sigh in relief that it'll be open for at least another half hour.

They all pile into the small shop, which is honestly a little cramped for the five of them, and let Sensei Wu, who has the most experience with the owner, up front near the register.

"Hello."

"What do you want?"

She didn't seem to be a very pleasant woman…

"Yes, well, we were hoping you could help us with something."

"Spit it out already!"

Obviously angered by the woman's attitude, Kai pushes to the front and leans across the counter.

"We're paying customers, lady, maybe try being a little less rude." He glares at her when she only ' _humph'_ d in response. "We heard that there's a cure for people who have djinn powers. Do you know it, or should we take our money elsewhere?"

She eyes him, before heading into the back without a word. Kai looks ready to start yelling back at her, when Sensei Wu speaks up.

"I believe we have found it."

The woman comes back with a small canister in hand.

"This is all I have." She sets the can down. "If you want it to be truly effective, you'll have to drink it daily."

"Whaaat?" Kai groans. "Seriously?"

"Thanks." Cole counts out the proper payment. "Could you maybe tell us who your supplier for this is?"

"That'll cost extra."

"Of course it does."

"Don't give me any lip, boy, I have no reason to tell you who I buy from!"

"S-sorry, sorry, we'll pay."

* * *

"Hello, brother." Echo greets happily, even waving at the video footage.

"Hello, brother." Zane greets him in return, smiling softly. "And hello to you too, Jay, Nya."

"Wait," a voice off-screen speaks up. "Ronin isn't there?"

"He… left." Nya says hesitantly. "Urgent business."

"That is unfortunate." Zane says without a single ounce of sympathy in his tone. "But I am happy to say that we have made progress on our end."

"So you've found the cure?" Jay asks, leaning back in his chair a bit.

"Yes, a bit of it, but we are trying to find more at the moment."

"Why would you need more?" Echo asks, eyeing the tilt of Jay's chair warily.

"It appears to be a tea that must be drunken daily, and there is not enough for even one person, let alone two." Zane holds up a small canister to show them. "We know who the supplier is, so we're going to try and find them. How's the progress on the ship going?"

"Pretty well." Jay answers at the same time that Nya answers. "Not so good…"

The two look at each other for a moment, then Echo helpfully pipes up.

"Jay and I are working fifty five percent faster than estimated!"

"Yeah, well, without Ronin things on my end have kinda slowed down."

"Maybe you should join us, then?" Echo innocently asks. "If we are all working together, than I am sure we can reduce the estimated completion time by at least three days!"

"Wait, three days?" Another voice off-screen asks. "Just how long is it gonna take to fix the Bounty?"

"Barring any setbacks," Zane says to the person off-screen. "it will take a week at least."

"Well," Jay laughs a little nervously, rocking his chair back a little more. "There's a lot of wiring in the ship and I fried most of it…"

"Anyway, if you three manage to finish before we are done, I will send you our coordinates."

"Goodbye, brother!"

"Goodbye, brother."

"And goodnight, as well."

"Yes, goodnight."

The screen goes dark, Jay lets his chair fall back onto all four legs, and the three of them turn to each other.

"There is still some sunlight left." Echo glances out the nearby window, just to be certain. "Should we attempt to do some more work?"

"Why not?" Jay shrugs. "Honestly, I've kind of missed this."

"…Yeah." Nya agrees, but doesn't follow when they go. Although Echo had invited her before, and Jay had said he didn't hate her, she got the feeling that her presence wasn't a welcome one around the master of lightning anymore.

 _I think I liked it better when he was obsessed with me._

End chapter seven


	9. Chapter 8

It was late at night, the world made infinitely darker by the storm clouds covering the sky in a thick layer. REX cuts through the night, guided solely by its GPS, as Ronin could barely make out the shadowy horizon in this engulfing night.

The sky rumbles, long and loud, and Ronin cringes. He flips on the radio, getting nothing but static at first, but with a little fiddling sound begins to filter through.

{-sometimes before it gets better, the darkness gets bigger, the person you'd take a bullet for is behind the trigger-}

With a muttered curse he quickly changes the channel.

{-rget it! Now, I'll throw the first punch, 'cause I've kept my mouth shut for far too long-}

Really, wasn't there anything good on?

{-as a girl, you have set your heart on haunting me forever from the start, it's never silent-}

 _Music nowadays._

Ronin scoffs, reaching out once more (with a hand that definitely wasn't shaking), and changes the channel again.

{-'ve used up all your luck. I'm holding out for karma, I'm holding out to watch you burn-}

Finally turning off the radio, Ronin sighs.

"Aw…" The criminal freezes at the laughing voice behind him rings out. "I was enjoying that."

"Does this mean I've lost?" Ronin bites out, staring determinedly ahead of him, not wanting that demon to see his reaction.

"Yes. Despite the head start I gave you, even." The demon chuckles. "But watching you struggle was so much _fun_!"

"Good to know one of us enjoyed this." Ronin tries to sound sarcastic, but the underlying fear takes out most of the bite in his words. The demon hums, leans in close enough that Ronin can feel his warm breath on his neck, and says.

"I know~! Why don't we play another game?" The demon chuckles as Ronin feels a chill go down his spine. "We can play again and again, until the despair eats away at you, until the paranoia keeps you up _all_ ~ night. Unless, that is, you'll accept my offer?"

"You'll be waiting a long time, then." Ronin steels his nerves. "Because neither of those things are ever going to happen."

"So you say." The demon finally backs off, laughing as if Ronin had made a hilarious joke. "I'll give you a much bigger head start this time. A game's no fun if it's _too_ easy, after all~."

"The ninja are going to stop you." He can't help but say. There's no reply and Ronin finally turns around, only to find empty air behind him. With a shaky breath, he turns back around and turns off REX's GPS. No doubt that was how he'd been found so quickly.

In the morning he'd stop to completely remove the thing, possibly surreptitiously attach it to some unsuspecting person's car, and then go back on the move.

He didn't need to avoid the demon forever, he'd just have to survive long enough for the ninja to do their thing.

 _I just hope he doesn't get bored of our 'game' before then._

* * *

"I can't believe someone would decide to grow tea in Hiroshi's labyrinth." Cole says, pushing another branch away from his face. "Didn't you say this place was like a maze?"

"It's actually not that hard to navigate." Lloyd shrugs. "As long as you pay attention to where you're going, that is."

"Just how much farther is it?" Kai whines, batting away a palm leaf.

"I believe we are almost there." Zane carefully steps over a root that was sticking up out of the ground, forming a loop that appeared perfect for catching an unsuspecting person's foot. "As for your earlier question, Cole, they may have chosen based on the climate of the area."

"There it is!" Lloyd exclaims, pointing to the little hut in the distance.

It was dwarfed by the surrounding trees, with weeds growing unchecked around the edges, the paint fading and flaking off. There wasn't any sign of a garden nearby, which was a little odd, but maybe it was just deeper in the forest.

"Do you think anyone even lives here anymore?" Kai gives the building a critical look.

"Well, we won't know until we knock." Lloyd steps forward, raps on the door, and then steps back to wait for an answer.

They wait for a while, Lloyd tries knocking once more, another wait, than Cole suggests.

"Maybe they just aren't home?"

"So, what, do we wait here until they get back? Assuming they aren't dead, that is." Kai huffs.

"What other choice to we have?" The green ninja shrugs.

"Uh, Cole could ghost in there, open the door for us, we find the tea and get out."

"It's not locked." An unknown voice says from behind the ninja. They all turn to look at the stranger, who just appears to be a normal boy around their age. His eyes and hair were both a forest green, he was wearing shorts and a loose sleeveless shirt, and was carrying a basket under the crook of his arm. "Although I'd rather you not steal any of my stuff."

"We weren't going to steal anything." Cole assures him, giving Kai a disapproving look.

"Oh? But I thought that was what shady people like you do?" The boy adjusted the basket he was holding, before moving past the ninja to go open the door. "I mean, what's with those clothes?"

"Uh, we're _ninja_." Kai scoffs. "How have you not heard of us? We've been all over the news lately!"

"I don't really pay much attention to the media." He gives them all a once over. "And none of you really look like ninja. They're supposed to wear black."

Cole raises an eyebrow, then glances down at himself and, wait, yeah, he had a green tint now, which meant he didn't exactly look like a typical ninja anymore.

He wasn't sure if he was happy about that or not.

"Whether you believe we are ninja or not is not important." Zane interjects. "We have come here in search of a rare tea."

"You're customers?" His eyes light up. "Why didn't you say so before? Come in, come in!"

It was only as he ushered them inside and they'd begun taking off their shoes that Cole notices two things. First, there was already a pair of shoes placed neatly by the door, and second, the boy was barefoot.

What was the point of taking off your shoes when you enter if you're just going to track dirt everywhere anyway?

The inside of the hut was tidy, with drying herbs hanging from the ceiling and paintings covering most of the walls (they were almost exclusively still life, but a few of them featured the green haired boy as well).

There weren't very many rooms to this place. There was a main room, a small kitchen and dining room (where the boy had dropped off the basket he'd had), a room they didn't enter, and finally an art room, where another person was sitting in front of a canvas and painting.

"You have customers."

"Yeah just gimme a mi- wait customers?" turning away from the canvas, he quickly took in the few ninja he could see. "R-right, I'll be right there! Hiroshi, why don't you get them something to drink while they wait?"

"Alright." There's a little bit of awkward shuffling as they let the boy by and then follow him to the kitchen once more. "We have water, green tea, and ginger ale."

Only Sensei Wu took him up for the offer of a drink (Tea, obviously) but the boy gave the rest of them water anyway.

"So, uh, your dad must really like this forest if he named you after it." Cole tries to make polite conversation.

"I don't have a father." The boy, Hiroshi, says immediately.

"Oh, I-, uh, I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"Speaking of," Kai glances down the hall. "I was wondering just what your relationship with that guy is."

"He's mine."

"Hiroshi." The man sighs, stepping into the room, now wearing glasses. "How many times do I have to tell you not to say that to people? They always assume the worst."

"But you _are_ mine."

"Just like every other rock, plant, and animal here is?"

"Of course. Everything here is mine."

Shaking his head, he gives the ninja an apologetic look.

"Please, allow me to introduce us. I am Dan DeLeon." He puts a hand on the boy's head. "And this wierdo is Hiroshi's Labyrinth."

"I thought that might be the case." Wu says with a chuckle. "As active as the magic here is, it is no surprise that a forest spirit would be born."

"You know about forest spirits?" The man has a relieved look on his face. "Good, that makes this much easier."

"Wait, what's a forest spirit?" Kai asks.

"A forest spirit," Zane explains to the red ninja. "is essentially the personification of the forest it is born from. Although they are neutral beings, they have been known to be hostile to any perceived threat to their home, and have often clashed with humans who have tried to build their homes too close to, or within, the boarder of the forest."

"If that's true, then how'd you manage to build a house here?" Lloyd asks their host.

"Human's need shelter." Hiroshi huffs. "And there are no good caves for him to stay in."

"To clarify." Dan rolls his eyes. "I agreed to live here, in the forest, so long as Hiroshi stopped causing everyone who entered to be hopelessly lost."

"But they would leave otherwise." He pouts.

"Yes, and they have a bad habit of _dying_ when you do that."

"Humans are so strange. You are numerous, destructive, yet are so utterly vulnerable."

Shaking his head at the spirit's antics, Dan gives the ninja a kind smile.

"So, you're here to buy something?"

"Yes." Zane pulls out the canister of tea leafs. "We were told that you could provide us with more of this."

"Hiroshi?" Dan gives the forest a helpless look. "This is really more up your alley."

"May I?" He holds his hand out and Zane hands it over. He opens it up and dumps a bit into his palm. "Oh, this is lotus breaker."

"Lotus breaker?"

"That's what you human's decided to call it." Hiroshi shrugs. "I really hate this weed, so you can have as much as you want."

"It's a weed?" Kai asks, trepidation clear on his face.

"Why do you dislike the lotus breaker?" Zane asks the spirit.

"It messes with magic; disrupts it. If I don't keep it in check, then it'll slowly kill everything around it." He dumps the leaves in his palm back into the canister, closes it, and hands it back. "You should be careful with it."

"You're not going to charge us?" Cole can't help but ask in surprise.

"I forgot that humans like to trade for things…" Hiroshi mummers.

"Thanks, Cole." Kai elbows the ghost.

"I know!" the forest spirit claps his hands together. "I don't like keeping any lotus breaker around, but there's some that's been growing near the river I've been trying to get rid of, so while I go take care of that, you all can fix up this place."

The ninja share a look. While the place did appear to need a little TLC, it didn't seem like it'd be that much work.

"Deal." Lloyd decides, holding his hand out to shake.

Either not understanding or not caring, Hiroshi ignores the green ninja's hand and moves over to his basket. He pulls out some plants, quickly and expertly hangs them up along with the other drying herbs, and then starts to head out.

"Don't forget your shoes!" Dan calls after him.

"The river swept them away!" Hiroshi calls back.

"Seriously? That's the third pair this month."

"You're lucky he keeps those clothes you gave him." Wu tells the man, hiding his amused smile by taking a sip of his tea.

"Yeah…" He turns to them awkwardly. "Uh, well, I guess you can get started? If you need anything I'll be in my art room."

"Before you go," Zane speaks up, a thoughtful look on his face. "would Hiroshi be upset if we were to remove the weeds growing around the house?"

"As long as they aren't threatening the structure of the house, there's no reason to uproot or disturb any of the plants here." He assures them. "Anything else?"

"Where do you keep your tools and cleaning supplies?"

End chapter eight

* * *

AN: For those who are curious about the songs used in this chapter, here they are in order of appearance.

1\. "Miss missing you" By Fall Out Boy

2\. "First Punch" By Nothing More

3\. "Nearly witches" By Panic! At The Disco

4\. "Karma" By Kagamine Rin (VocaCircus)

If any of the info here is wrong or I left something out, please feel free to tell me. ^u^

-Kit


	10. Chapter 9

"Alright," Jay turns to Echo, a big smile on his face. "that's it, we're done!"

"Shall I call my brother so we can get the coordinates?"

"No reason not to." Jay shrugs and starts walking to the bridge. "Although it's a little strange they haven't called us in all this time."

"Yes. It is a little strange that, in five and a half days, they have not called us to at least give us an update." The bronze nindroid gives the other a worried look. "Do you think something might have happened?"

"I'm sure they're fine, Echo."

"You cannot know that."

"I can."

"How? Have they contacted you without my knowledge?"

"No, I just know them." Echo didn't looked convinced by Jay's words. "They have a nindroid, a ghost, a wise old sensei, and the _green_ _ninja_ with them. I doubt there's any situation they can't get out of."

"Lloyd has a very bad track record with being captured." Echo points out. "And Cole cannot touch water."

"That's… true." Jay chews on his lip a little. "There's no point in speculating. Let's just hurry up and call."

It goes to voicemail without even ringing. Ending it, he tries again, only to get voicemail yet again. Just in case, he tries yet a third time.

"I am sorry about not picking up sooner." Zane says as soon as his face appears on the screen, looking apologetic and with splatters of paint on his face.

"Geez, man, why didn't you call sooner?" Jay breathes a sigh of relief. For a second there he was actually really worried.

"Again, I apologize, we have been very busy and it did not cross my mind."

"What do you mean we haven't fixed the roof yet?!" Kai could be heard yelling in the background. "Just how much is wrong with this fucking house?!"

"Kai, let Hiroshi go!" Lloyd this time.

"I assume the Bounty has been fixed?" Zane asks, ignoring the commotion going on behind him.

"Yep, we barely beat the estimate, right Echo?"

"In total it took us six days, thirteen hours, and twenty one minutes."

"I will send you our coordinates, then." True to his word, a message appears a few seconds later.

"I don't care if the door squeaks!" Zane glances back at Kai's outburst, before turning back to the screen with a wince.

"I will talk to you later." He promises.

"Good luck with whatever you're doing." Jay stifles a laugh as the sounds of a struggle, the two voices belonging to Kai and Cole, can be heard.

"Yes… We will need it." And with that the screen goes dark.

"Why do you think they were working on a house?" Echo asks. "I thought they were trying to find some more tea."

"I have _no_ idea." Jay shrugs. "You can ask them when we arrive at… Hiroshi's labyrinth?"

Huh, he hadn't thought that there were any houses near there.

"Jay?"

"Yeah, buddy?"

"Are we going to leave now?"

"Oh, right!"

* * *

"You promised!" Hiroshi pouts.

"That was before you started making up reasons to keep us here!"

"I didn't make anything up."

"Kai, just calm down." Lloyd sighs.

"If you break something we _just_ fixed again…" Cole warns.

"That wasn't my fault!" The master of fire whirls on the ghost. "If you hadn't knocked me over, that window would've been fine."

"I tripped on a root!"

"Calm down, all of you!" Sensei Wu yells, stamping his staff down on the ground. "You are acting like petty children."

"Hiroshi, I think they've done more than enough, give them the tea so they can leave." Dan admonishes.

"Aw…" The forest spirit looks disappointed.

"I _knew_ you were just trying to keep us here!" Kai yells triumphantly.

"I don't like it when people leave…"

"I know, but you promised me you wouldn't keep people here anymore." Dan pats the forest spirit on the head a few times. "I'm sure they'll be back sooner or later."

"…Alright."

He starts to take down the dried bundles hanging up… all of them. Every single bundle that was already hanging up and what he'd hung while they were there, and began to wrap them in cloths.

"That's a lot…" Lloyd says with surprise. "I thought you said you didn't like to keep a lot of lotus breaker around?"

"I don't?" Hiroshi gives him a confused look. "This isn't a lot at all."

"At least we're getting our bang for our buck." Cole shrugs.

"Perhaps we do not have to leave so soon." Zane suggests.

"Uh, have you lost your mind?!" Kai gives the titanium nindroid an 'are you kidding me' look.

"I do not mean we have to keep working on the house." He assures the master of fire. "But the Bounty has been fixed and the others are on their way here."

"More people are coming?" Hiroshi looks up, curious.

"Zane, a minute?" Cole pulls the other aside and whispers. "I don't think it's a good idea to let the others come here. Hiroshi is nice, but he's not…"

"He is not what?"

"You need to leave." Hiroshi's voice sounded worried and he hurriedly pushes the bundles into the ninja's arms before urging them towards the door.

"Whoa, hey, what's with the sudden change of heart?" Dan asks. "I've never seen you try and force people you like to leave before."

"You too." He turns on the painter, a sad, fearful look appearing on his face. "You need to leave too, Dan."

"W-what?" The painter looked confused. "Why? I promised I'd stay-, is this because I still go visit my family every year? I told you I'd always come back, they even sounded interested in meeting you-"

"He's _here_ , Dan, he's come back."

"Who?"

"The one who brought the lotus breaker here. The one who tried to kill me so long ago." He looks down at his hands. "I'm not sure I'll come back again, if I do it won't be in your lifetime."

"I-I'm not going to leave you to die, Hiroshi!"

A groan fills the air, then the sound of cracking wood, the hut shutters, vines are crawling along its surface, constricting until the walls give in under their weight.

"Keep moving." Hiroshi steps back, the trees begin to move, to sway without a breeze, taking on a life of their own. "Don't let him find you."

"Wait! Hiroshi!" The forest spirit is gone.

The braches of the trees sway, reach out, block as much of the sky as they can. It's intimidating, the forest around them moves, every bush and every blade of grass, leaving them disoriented.

"We should go." Lloyd says, swallowing the sudden fear that began creeping up his spine. The forest never moved like this when he'd come here with his dad before. Had Dan already convinced him not to confuse people back then?

"I'm not leaving!" Dan insists.

"Dan, there's something out there that a magical forest spirit is scared of." Cole tries to make the man see reason. "Do you really think there's anything you can do to help?"

"You don't understand." Dan shakes his head. "Hiroshi _is_ this forest. Any mortal man could kill him if they tried hard enough."

"Dan." Zane steps forward. "So long as you remain here, Hiroshi will worry about you, and he will not be able to focus on protecting himself. I believe he will be fine, but for now it would be best if you left."

"I…" He looks up, then down at his feet and nods. "Okay."

* * *

"Man, was this forest always so creepy?" Jay laughs, inching a little closer to Echo.

"I would not know." Echo replies, stopping to examine a flower that appeared to be following their movement. "I have not been here before."

He reaches out, aiming to touch one of the wiggling vines slowly reaching out.

"Are you crazy?!" Jay pulls the nindroid back. "You don't just go touching creepy plants!"

"I apologize. I will refrain from doing so in the future."

"Let's just hurry up and find the others." Jay sighs. "I should have picked rock before, then maybe I'd be back on the Bounty instead of Nya."

"We are going in circles."

"What?"

"I recognize that rock." Echo points to said rock, which looked like any other rock to Jay. "We passed by it three times now."

"Oh, great." Jay lets out a little hysteric laugh. "We're lost in Hiroshi's labyrinth."

"We are not lost."

"What?" Jay turns to give the nindroid a confused look. "I thought you said we were going in circles?"

"I did. We are going in circles. But I have noticed a pattern."

"So…?"

"So I can navigate deeper into the forest, given enough time."

"M-maybe we should just go back to the ship?" Jay suggests instead. "We can call Zane again, tell him we're here, and ask him to come out."

"Brother?"

"Yeah, Zane."

"No, I mean he is behind you."

Jay turns and Zane skids to a stop before him.

"I will explain later." He hurries to say, pulling Jay along behind him and motioning for Echo to follow.

"Why are we running?" Jay asks anyway as soon as he's not scrambling to keep up. "And where are the others?"

"Something is following me." The titanium nindroid answers. "I was separated from the others and there is no time to figure out the pattern as well as find them."

"Wha-" Jay tries to look back, only for his foot to catch on a root and cause him to fall. It had only been a second, he was sure, but when he looks up the two nindroids are gone.

Jay is alone.

End chapter nine


	11. Chapter 10

Hiroshi dug his toes into the ground beneath him. Everything here was his. The plants, the rocks, the animals, they were all his. He was their voice, their will, their free movement.

It fell onto him to remove that which was harmful, to preserve the balance of his land so that the cycle could go on.

 _Everything that dies returns to the land. I am the land. When something dies it returns to me, and so everything here is mine._

Hiroshi hated to lose what belongs to him, it was why he'd learned to draw people deeper into the forest, after all, and if he needed to kill that man to protect what was his, then so be it.

* * *

There had been an instant, a mere second, in which Zane had felt relief upon exiting Hiroshi's labyrinth. He'd gotten out unscathed, he'd found both his brother and Jay before they could unknowingly walk into harm's way, and they had escaped. Only, Jay wasn't there when the nindroid turned back to look.

Panic immediately fills his mind, drowning out any thought or reason, and he quickly turns to his brother and demands.

"Where's Jay?" The other nindroid looks behind himself, as if the blue ninja would be found there, and Zane curses. Jay was the fastest, even if he didn't have the most stamina, and they'd barely run long enough to wear him out. Zane had been so sure of that, he hadn't thought of the obstacles, of whatever had been chasing him being just fast enough to... "I'm going back."

Echo starts to follow him and Zane has to force himself to turn back to the younger nindroid and say.

"Go back to the ship, Echo. Make sure the others are all there." He doesn't hear the other nindroid's response as he rushes into the forest.

"Jay!?" He calls out. "Jay, can you hear me?!"

He retraces their steps as best he can, but the pattern's changed already, and he's quickly in the thick of it, forest stretching endlessly in every direction. He pushes on regardless.

Time slowly slips by, seconds counted out and recorded like the ticking of a clock in his head. If he had a physical heart, would it be beating out of his chest? Finally, the forest around him begins to calm, the plants stilling, appearing to any who didn't know to have never moved at all.

"The one you're looking for-" Hiroshi appears, his clothes looking worse for wear. Torn, covered in dirt and what looked like blood. "-is over there."

Zane glances over where the forest spirit pointed, a short glance, and that's all it takes for the other to vanish as quickly as he came.

"Thank you." He says anyway, hoping the other would be able to hear him, that maybe the plants around him would convey his sentiment, and hurries in the indicated direction.

He find's Jay stumbling slowly, using trees to support himself as he walks, and hurries over.

"Jay!" The master of lightning looks up at him and immediately Zane notices the blood running down from a cut on his forehead. Jay's vision appears to go in and out of focus. He steps forward at Zane's approach, sways, stumbles, and falls right into the other. "What happened?"

"I… I fell…" He helps Jay to steady himself as he tries to stand up straight. "Y-you were gone… then… then I heard him… and… I don't remember the rest."

"Heard him?" Had Jay encountered the person that Hiroshi was scared of? "Do you remember what he said?"

"Um… it was… i-it was…" He begins to lilt to one side and Zane shakes his head.

"Never mind. It's not important." He moves one of Jay's arms over his shoulder and begins to head in the direction he believes is the exit. Jay lets out a little giggle, grabs the front of Zane's gi, and asks.

"When… when'd you l-learn… to use… those?"

"Use what?"

"suf… suf-fuh… combo words."

"Suffixes?"

"Yeah!"

"Did you perhaps mean to say contraction?"

"Uh… May-bye… Be. Maybe."

Had he been using them?

"I had not noticed."

"Aw… I s-shouldn't… you stopped…"

The likelihood of Jay having a concussion was alarmingly high. Adjusting his grip on the other, he picks up the pace a little.

* * *

The stars glittered beautifully over Hiroshi's labyrinth. Dan did his best to commit it to memory, so he could paint it later. He hikes the bag on his back up a little more. If he remembered right, the hut used to be around… here!

"You came back." Hiroshi's voice greets him as soon as he returns, as he always does, with the same statement.

"Of course." He replies, as he usually does, with a kind smile. "I made a promise."

"The house is gone, though."

"We can build a new one."

"All your paintings were ruined."

"I can make more."

The forest spirit is quiet as he removes his back pack and takes the sleeping bag out. It isn't until he's unrolled it that the other speaks up.

"I had a chance to kill him."

Dan knows exactly who he's talking about. The person responsible for the lotus breaker. The person who, for some reason, had felt the need to destroy Hiroshi's labyrinth.

"Why didn't you?"

"Because someone else would have gotten hurt if I did."

"…I thought that was just how life was?" He says carefully. "The strong live while the weak die."

"Humans are strange." He replies. "You all die so easily…"

Dan slides into his sleeping bag, situates his backpack under his head to act as his pillow, and watches the stars above him.

"I never thanked you." Dan shifts a little bit, snuggles down into his sleeping bag a little more. "For saving me so long ago."

Out of his peripheral he sees Hiroshi move to sit by his head, then the forest spirit leans over him and all Dan can see is his vivid green eyes.

"So many humans die here." He pauses for a moment. "I wanted to see one live."

"Well, that's too bad for you." The painter chuckles. "Because you're stuck with me now, whether you like it or not."

"Rest." Hiroshi leans back and the stars fill his vision once more. "I'll make sure nothing eats you while you sleep."

* * *

"It's only a little cut, Zane, I don't need to go to the hospital." Jay whines, batting away his hands as he tried to examine the wound more closely. "It doesn't even hurt, anyway."

"Yeah, Zane, if Jay isn't whining like a baby about the pain like he usually does, he's probably fine." Cole adds, getting a glare and a pout from the blue ninja. "What? It's true!"

Jay had managed to regain his bearings during their walk back to the Bounty, had even managed to walk on his own, and now none of the others would believe Zane when he said Jay's wound was serious. It was frustrating and worrisome.

"Alright, the tea is ready." Sensei Wu announced, causing Kai to groan.

He'd made it very clear he was dreading having to drink it.

Jay used the distraction to slip away, much to Zane's annoyance, but he was forced to stay and watch as the siblings drank the tea so he could document the effects.

Still, worry lingers in the back of his mind, and he resolves to inform Jay about the signs of a concussion and ask him to come forward should he experience any, later.

"Am I going to have to drink that stuff for the rest of my life?" Kai whines, head hitting the countertop with a painful sounding _thunk_. "I swear I nearly threw up after I drank it."

"Don't be so dramatic, Kai." Nya rolls her eyes at her brother's antics. "It wasn't that bad."

"Geez, Kai, seems your sister has a stronger stomach than you do." Cole snickered.

The chattering continues, none the wiser to the shadow slipping by the door and down the hall.

End chapter ten


	12. Chapter 11

"I think Jay should stay here to watch the ship."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm fine, Zane?"

The ninja were about to head back into Hiroshi's labyrinth to see if the forest spirit was alright, but they had to decide who would stay and watch the ship (since they weren't comfortable leaving Wu and Echo behind to do it just yet).

"I… am not worried about that." The nindroid attempts to lie. Seeing the worry on the other's face, Jay's eyes soften and he glances off to the side.

"I guess I could stay." He chuckles a little nervously. "I kind of didn't want to go back there anyway."

"Thank you." Zane says sincerely, giving the other a relieved smile. "We will not be long."

"We better not." Kai grumbles. "And I _swear_ , if anyone offers to help them rebuild…"

"Yeah, yeah, just get going already." Jay waves them off, chuckling embarrassedly. "The sooner you leave the sooner you'll be back."

"Actually," Cole gives the others an apologetic smile. "I'm going to stay behind and watch the ship with Jay."

The master of lightning waits for the others to all leave before turning to the master of earth and giving him a curious look.

"I know you aren't worried about a possible concussion like Zane, so why'd you really decide to stay behind?"

"What, can't I spend some time with my best bro?" Cole gives the other a mock offended look, placing a hand over his heart to complete the image. "Really, I am hurt."

Jay doesn't smile, doesn't make a joke back, and slowly Cole's own expression shifts to nervousness. He shifts a little, then shrugs, running a hand through his hair and says.

"Alright, so maybe I did have another reason for staying…" He gives Jay a serious look. "I think you should tell them."

"Tell who what?" The blue ninja's brows pinch as he thinks hard about the question.

"Your parents…" Cole hesitates, then strengthens his resolve and continues. "I think you should tell your parents that you're gay."

Jay blinks up at him, expressionless, so the master of earth adds on.

"They're really cool, I'm sure they'd be fine with it." He gives the other an encouraging smile. "I'll even back you up if you need it."

"…Did you know I have an uncle?" Jay asks, voice flat.

"Uh, no?" Cole looks a little thrown off at the abrupt subject change. "You've never mentioned it before."

"He used to babysit me…" Jay glances over the other's shoulder, eyes going glassy as if he were looking into his own mind rather than seeing what was ahead of him. "He was bi. Found a real nice guy to settle down with, too. After that they just acted like he didn't exist… they never mentioned him and he never came around anymore."

"O-oh… I had no idea." Cole shifts awkwardly. Jay's parents had always seemed perfect (if a little embarrassing), unlike his own strict and controlling father (although he'd gotten better), so Cole had always been a bit envious of the other. He'd never understood why Jay wouldn't want to visit them… until now. "Still… I think it's better to be honest about this. I mean, when you do find someone, would you really be happy hiding them from your parents and the press for the rest of your life?"

Blinking back into focus, Jay's blue eyes meets Cole's ghostly green ones with a defeated look.

"I… I know they'll find out one way or another…" He glances down at his feet. "But… if they don't… if… I mean, what'll I do if they _can't_ …"

The ghost puts a hand on the other's shoulder and gives it a light squeeze.

"You'll always have us, Jay." He tries to give the master of lightning an encouraging and honest smile. "We're family now."

"You're a good friend…" Jay starts to laugh. It's small at first, and Cole's happy that his friend seems to be feeling better, but then it gets louder, more hysteric, and Cole's own smile slips away as worry overtakes any relief. "The little blue bird is lucky to have you."

His body language shifts, when he looks up his face is twisted into an expression of manic glee, and his laughter sounds almost mocking.

"Jay…?" Cole questions, fright taking hold of his heart.

"Oh, I'm sorry, songbird, but he isn't here right now." The other giggles. "I'm afraid the anxiety was just _too_ ~ much for him, and so the scale tipped!"

"Wh-who are you?" It didn't take Cole long to realize that Jay was being possessed. The same thing had happened to Lloyd, after all, so it was only a matter of who the ghost was, what he wanted, and how to get him to leave his friend alone.

"I've been called many things, by many people, but the truth is…" The other shrugs, lifting his hands up and rolling his eyes. "I don't really know myself. I suppose you can call me 'Viperae'…"

The other laughs as if he's just told some kind of joke and Cole bristles.

"Get out of my friend."

"Hm~?" Viperae shakes his head. "You speak as if I have a choice in the matter."

"Of course you do!" The ghost advances on the other. "Now get out of my friend or so help me…"

"You'll what?" The other laughs. "You'll hurt your friend? _Kill_ _him_ , perhaps?"

"I…" He hesitates, then shakes his head. "Jay, if you can hear me, you have to fight this ghost!"

"He can't hear you, songbird, no matter how much you sing." The other sighs dramatically. "Besides, I'm not here to fight you, I'm here to _help_ you."

"I don't want or need your help!"

"Even if I said I knew how to return you to your normal self?" Viperae's grin grows as Cole hesitates for a fraction of a second, and hurriedly goes on. "I can tell you aren't a normal ghost. The curse on you is as plain as day to me… There was no body when you became a ghost, yes?"

"I-I… You're lying." He denies. He'd given up hope of going back to normal a while ago, or he'd thought he'd had, but the sudden bit of hope that he could be normal again… it was tempting.

"I'm not lying." The other assures him, smile still in place, and holds out his hand. "I can even make all your worries go away. All you have to do is join me."

Cole stares at the other, at the image of his best friend being controlled by this… thing, and hates himself for being tempted to agree.

 _I really am a horrible friend…_

"How long?"

"Forever?" The other answers, seeming a bit confused by the sudden question.

"How long have you been in Jay's body?" He glares at the other, clenching his fists tightly.

 _If I tried to possess Jay, would it drive the other out?_

"Oh, that~?" The other laughs. "Since he died."

"Died…? Wait, since Zane died?!" That had been almost a year now. Had this person really been lying in wait for so long, secretly trying to take hold of their friend's body without them ever noticing?!

"It seems our time is over." The other sighs. "No doubt the flower told them everything."

Viperae turns to leave and Cole panics.

"Wait!" He tries to stop the other, rushing forward to grab his arm, but he effortlessly spins around, dodging Cole's arm, and kicks him in the back of the head, causing the master of earth to drop to the ground.

He's seeing stars, he struggles onto his hands and knees, shocked by the strength behind that attack. Cole always was the most durable of the bunch, and during training Jay always struggled even to make him stagger, let alone actually knock him down, yet without even trying he'd incapacitated the master of earth.

It hits him a second later, when the tingling pain sets in, that he hadn't just kicked him, but that the other had shocked him as well.

 _No wonder it hurt so much…_

"My offer still stands, by the way, if you change your mind~!"

Then he was gone, and Jay with him.

Cole curses, glaring down at the floor through his transparent hands, and feels his stomach drop with despair.

 _Why am I even a ninja if I can't protect the people I care about?_

* * *

 **Earlier that day**

"Oh, you really did come back." Dan says in surprise. "I mean, Hiroshi doesn't really make things up like that…"

"Yes, well, we wanted to make sure that he was alright." Zane explains. "And I was hoping that he could explain some more about the man who brought the lotus breaker here."

The forest spirit, who had been examining the pile of rubble that was once their home, turns to the master of ice with a worried look.

"You don't know, do you?"

"Could you be more specific?"

"I encountered him yesterday…" The forest spirit hesitates. "He was acting strangely until one of my branches hit him."

"You fought him?" Lloyd asks, sounding worried.

"No… after that we merely talked." He turns back to Zane, looking worried. "But he was dressed as you all were, only in blue."

"Wait…" Kai stops the other. "Are you saying you attacked _Jay_ thinking he was the one who brought the lotus breaker here?"

"Is that his name?" The forest spirit queries.

"Why'd you think he was the one who brought the lotus breaker here?" Lloyd asks.

"It's hard to explain…" He thinks it over for a moment, then says. "Many beings have magic to them. That magic is individual, even here each plant and animal has their own unique feel. The more I know a person, the easier it is to tell that magic apart from any other magic… so it took me a bit to realize that his magic had not changed, but that there were two coming from one person."

"…Are you saying," Zane asks cautiously. "that there was more than one person's magic in Jay's body?"

"I'm saying that there's more than one _person_ in his body." He sighs. "Perhaps it would have been better if I'd killed that menace, but I knew you all wouldn't be happy if I did…"

"So some ghost is possessing Jay?" Nya huffs. "I thought we dealt with all of them already."

"Obviously not." Lloyd shakes his head. "Besides, there could be more ghosts like Cole, who aren't connected to the cursed realm."

"So what do we do?" Kai asks. "We don't have any way of forcing him out of Jay's body."

"I'm sure Jay's fighting him every step of the way." Lloyd assures the master of fire. "And once that ghost gets tired of constantly fighting for control, he'll leave Jay alone, and then we'll get him!"

"For now," Zane says determinedly. "we should not tip our hand that we know what's going on. We have the upper hand at the moment, it is best not to waste it."

End chapter eleven


	13. Chapter 12

"Found you~."

Ronin choked on the juice he was drinking. Over the sound of his coughing he could hear the demon laughing at him. There's a heavy _thunk_ as something's dropped onto the table in front of him. He recognizes it immediately. It's REX's GPS.

"Are you sure you won't accept my offer? You don't seem very invested in our game."

He stares at the loose wires where it was obviously removed forcefully. He knew what the demon was trying to accomplish. It was trying to say 'I had enough time to go out of my way to track this down and still find you within the week.' How it had found him, the criminal had no idea, but it was obvious he needed to step up his game.

 _Ugh, 'game'…_

"Jay? Do you have time to answer a few questions?"

Ronin could swear that the tin ninja was around, given the sudden ice in his veins, and he turns around to see a reporter trying to push a mic into the demon's face.

Irritation was clear in his expression…

 _I'm not a hero._

The first crackle of electricity could be felt in the air, raising the hairs on his arm.

… _She'd never forgive me if I just stood by and let this happen._

Ronin quickly springs from his seat, grabs the demon's arm, and says.

"How about a different game?"

"Oh~?" He chuckles, irritation forgotten. "What kind of game?"

He quickly pulls the other after him, heart pounding in his ears, almost amazed that the demon hadn't reacted poorly to being pulled around like this.

"Jay? Jay walker?" The reporter calls after them, trying to follow, and Ronin curses.

 _Do you have a damn death wish?!_

He needed to think up some kind of game, something that would get them out of here, fast, before the reporter got himself killed.

"A race." He curses yet again as soon as the words left his lips. Jay was the fastest ninja, everyone knew that, Ronin had little hope of beating the other. He had to amend what he'd said before the other could agree. "A race to find specific treasures."

Ronin was good at finding things. _That_ he had a chance of winning, even against this devil.

"Hm~…" The other hums thoughtfully. Ronin glances back, past the demon, at the figures of the reporter and camera man hurrying after them. "What kind of treasures? Are there any rules?"

"T-the first person to find five…" Five what? Something he could get easily, that the other wouldn't be able to, or that no one would be able to find at all. "The first person to find five lost treasures wins."

The demon laughs.

"I like the way you think~!"

He pulls his arm out of Ronin's grasp, and when Ronin turns around the other is gone. The camera man is filming the roofs, though, so it's safe to assume that was where he'd vanished too.

 _Now to make myself scarce as well._

* * *

Lloyd couldn't understand any of what was appearing on the screen before him. It all appeared and disappeared within milliseconds as the two nindroids conducted their research.

It had been a huge blow for them to return and find Cole alone. When he'd told them what had happened and what little the other had told him, Zane had accidentally caused all the windows in the room to frost over.

It was alarming to see such a loss of control from one of their most level headed members.

Now he and Echo were attempting to pinpoint when the exact moment of possession had occurred. Kai was training. Cole had holed up in the kitchen. Nya was who knows where. And Lloyd? He was here, pretending to be helpful, ready for the first sign that they'd found anything useful.

What else was there to do?

* * *

Kai took down another training robot, frustration in every fiber of his being.

 _A year? A whole fucking year?!_

Or nearly so. It was all semantics, anyway, and Kai didn't care about the tiny details. All he cared about was pounding in that ghost's face as soon as he could.

No one messed with Kai's friend's and got away with it.

 _Is this my fault?_

He punched the nearest training dummy, accidentally melting its surface. His sister wouldn't be happy about that, she and Jay had put a lot of work into making these things, apparently.

 _If I wasn't part djinn, would our lives have been any easier?_

With a frustrated yell he throws some fireballs at the training dummy, melting it down to a pile of super-heated metal.

He'd have to clean that up later, it'd probably leave a burn mark on the ship's deck, but he didn't care.

No one had even seen Jay since he'd left… Most villains would have made their first move by now. Having nothing to do, being forced to just sit around and wait while the others tried to figure things out, that left him agitated.

"Kai." Nya stepped out onto the deck, giving him a worried look, but ultimately not commenting on the rapidly cooling lump in front of him. "Jay was on the news."

"What?" Kai's mind jumped at the many possibilities, what kinds of disasters would be on the report. "What was it?"

She bites her lip, then gestures back the way she came.

"Why don't you just watch the footage with the others?"

He doesn't question her anymore, he just hurries to the bridge.

The others are already gathered, and without anything needed to be said, the footage is started as soon as the siblings arrive.

"Jay Walker was recently seen hanging out with known criminal Ronin Yamato." The screen showed Ronin and Jay talking, then cut to the criminal pulling Jay away as the two appearing to continue chatting. 'Jay' had a smile on his face, while Ronin looked uncomfortable at best. "Has the blue ninja turned to a life of crime? Here's what their manager, Dareth Brown, has to say."

The picture changes to show Dareth sitting with an interviewer.

"Jay was just trying to help Ronin turn over a new leaf." He gives the interviewer a charming smile. "As you can see in the video, they were just talking."

"And why did they take off when the camera showed up?"

"Ronin is a rather private individual, as most criminals are, so he didn't like being filmed."

Zane stops the recording there, then turned to the others.

"Dareth was not happy when he called earlier and sent this footage over." He explains. "Apparently he feels we've been ignoring his calls."

Kai wanted to ask 'what calls?' but Cole spoke up before he could.

"More importantly, Ronin might know where Jay is."

"Yes." Zane agrees. "That is a possibility. There is also another lead we found that might have more information."

Echo scrambles to change what the monitor is showing, changing it to a picture of a man with the name 'Cliff Gordon' under it.

"Isn't that Fritz Donnagan?" Lloyd asks, surprise clear on his face. "What connection could he possibly have to all of this?"

"Apparently, during the time you all were in different employ," The bronze nindroid explains. "this man 'pulled a few strings', although no real strings were involved, and got Jay a job as a TV personality."

"Now, we do not know what his interests are, or why he did this, but it could be possible that he is working with the person who possessed Jay."

"Uh…" Nya hesitates. "I may know a reason why he'd be interested in helping Jay."

"Wait seriously?" Kai gives his sister a confused look. Had Jay told her something…?

"Well, in the future that never happened, Jay found out that… he was adopted." She gestures to the man on the screen. "Apparently he was Jay's real father. But in the end he said it was just one of Nadakhan's tricks, so it didn't really seem important enough to mention at the time…"

"…Jay's adopted?" Cole asks.

Echo turns back to the computer and types something up.

"…Yes, there's a record of it here. It says that he was found abandoned in their junkyard, and as no one came forward to claim him, guardianship was awarded to Ed and Edna Walker."

"So then this guy _doesn't_ have anything to do with the ghost possessing Jay?" Kai tries to clarify.

"The timing is still a little odd, though." Lloyd sighs. "I think we should still check him out. Besides, his connection to Jay might be the very reason that Jay was the one possessed."

"Who would do that to their own kid?" Cole asks, looking upset at the thought.

"Who would just abandon their kid in a _junkyard_?" Lloyd replies. "I think what we need to do now is clear. Zane, Echo, you two keep looking for any other possible times that Jay could have been possessed. Kai, Nya, I want you two to track down Ronin and see what he knows about Jay. Cole, you and I will go see what Cliff Gordon knows."

With that decided, everyone set about their assigned tasks.

End chapter twelve


	14. Chapter 13

"So this is Cliff Gordon's place…" Cole whistles, looking up at the gated mansion before them. "What's the plan?"

"We're ninja." Lloyd smirks. "We do what we do best. We break in and look for any evidence of his involvement."

Breaking in was easy with a ghost. Cole just phased through the gate and the front door, and then buzzed Lloyd in. The place had a pristine, modern design, with movie and comic memorabilia of some manner in every room. It was oddly cold, feeling unlived in.

"Where do we start?" Cole asks the other. "I doubt he'd just leave a file titled 'evil plans' out on the coffee table…"

"Well, if I were doing something evil, I'd hide it somewhere it wouldn't be easily found." Lloyd rubs his chin as he thinks. "This place is far too clean for Gordon to clean it himself, he must have maids for that, so I don't think it'll be anywhere they'd easily find it… If it were a Fritz Donnogan comic, I'd say there was some secret room, seeing as he's super rich and all."

Lloyd shakes his head, berating himself for even bringing it up. It was all the memorabilia and the fact that Cliff Gordon was the actor who played his favorite comic book character on TV. He used to be super knowledgeable about the comic's lore, back before he had to be the green ninja, responsible for the safety of the world…

"Hey, you were right!" Cole's surprised laugh breaks the green ninja out of his train of thought. "There really is a secret room here."

"What?" Lloyd stares at the open wall stupidly.

"Well, I mean, while my dad also keeps a lot of the stuff related to his work, there's really only Fritz Donnagan related stuff here, so I figured why not?"

"But… how'd you find it? The lever or button could be anything in this room."

"I just went through the wall and opened it from the other side."

Right. Ghost.

"Ok, well, at least it was easy…"

The inside of the secret room seemed a bit more personal than the rest of the house they'd seen. There were suits displayed, one of Jay's old gi not going unnoticed, as well as a book prominently displayed on a pedestal that immediately caught their attention.

"How to attract women…?" Cole scoffs. "geez, what kind of person would put this on a pedestal?"

"We should have brought Zane." Lloyd sighs. "There's a computer here, but its password protected."

"Well, you were right about there being a secret room, you could probably guess the password."

The green ninja stares at the blinking cursor on the screen for a moment while Cole moves on to examine the rest of the room.

He tries some stuff related to Fritz Donnogan, which all fail, then he tries some variants on Jay and the various names he could go by. When those fail he leans back in the chair and sighs. They might have to come back later with Zane, after all.

"Have you tried 'James'?"

"James?" Lloyd looks over at the master of earth, who was flipping through something. "Why James?"

"This book is full of newspaper clippings of our accomplishments, but the front says 'James,' not 'Jay.'"

Doubtfully the green ninja inputs it.

"Huh…" Lloyd blinks at the desktop of the computer in surprise. "So, uh, it worked. But 'Jay' isn't short for 'James,' otherwise it'd be on the adoption papers, right?"

"Yeah, I'm sure Zane would have mentioned that in passing if that were the case." Cole agrees.

Turning back to the computer, Lloyd begins to search through the files. It doesn't take him very long to find one labeled 'Storm proposal.'

"Cole." He motions the other over. "I think I found it."

"What is it?"

"It's a video."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Play it."

Without any further ado, he hits play. The first thing that comes into view is the floor, before it lifts up and the camera man walks into a familiar looking room, where an unknown woman was sitting wrapped up in a blanket reading a book. Occasionally she would laugh.

"Storm?" The voice behind the camera Lloyd recognized as belonging to Fritz, or Cliff in this case.

The woman looked up and the image was striking. She had the same cinnamon brown hair that Jay had, her eyes were the same mischievous blue, and they looked far too similar to be unrelated.

"Does Jay have a sister?" He can't help but mutter to himself.

"No, he's an only child." Cole responds, sounding just as distracted.

"Cliff, what are you doing?" She raises an eyebrow at the camera. "I thought I was the paparazzo here, not you."

"I, uh…" The camera man clear his throat, walks a little bit closer and then sets the camera down on what was probably the coffee table, atop of some books that could barely be seen in the shot. "I have something to ask you."

"Are you proposing?"

There's a moment of silence, then her eyes widen and she covers her mouth.

"I-I was kidding! I mean, I didn't think you-, I said you didn't have to-"

"I want to, Storm." Cliff gets down on one knee and pulls out a small box. "I can't imagine life without you… so will you marry me, Storm Walker?"

"I… Yes." She laughs, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'll marry you!"

She pulls him into a hug, the book she was reading forgotten in her lap.

"Uh… this isn't…" Lloyd mumbles, stopping the video. "This isn't what we're looking for."

Despite his curiosity he closes the video.

"How about that one?" Cole gestures to the screen. The video only has some numbers for its name.

Lloyd opens it up and hits play.

There's an empty chair at first, then Cliff slips into the seat, looking haggard. He stares at the camera for a moment, then sighs.

"James… If you're watching this, then I'm dead." He pauses, rubs a hand over his face, and takes a deep breath. "You must have so many questions. I… I hope this will answer at least a few of them."

He pauses for a long moment, gathering his thoughts, then goes on.

"I left you with your grandparents today." He looks pained by the admission. "It's not because I didn't want you… But I know I can't do this. I can't be the father you deserve. Without Storm… What kind of life would you have? Hounded by paparazzi day and night, constantly waiting for a father who never has enough time for you, never knowing if people are your friends because they like you or solely for your fame…"

He looks down at his hands, which are shaking, and tears begin to well in his eyes.

"You deserve more than that… I'm sure they'll keep you safe." Taking a deep breath, he looks determinedly into the camera. "But I want you to know that Storm and I loved you."

He hesitates, almost looking like he wants to say more, but then he reaches over and the screen goes dark. Lloyd almost closes the video, but the screen turns back on a second later. Cliff slides into the seat, looking older, worn, and sad.

"James… I am so incredibly sorry." He clasps his hands and presses them to his mouth. "You must hate me. It's alright if you do. I understand.

I chose my job over you. I justified my selfish actions by saying it was for your benefit, but the truth was that I could have quit. I could have sold this place, gotten a more moderately sized home, and we could have lived comfortably. The fame would have eventually died down, it always does, fame is fleeting and anyone can be replaced."

He pinches the bridge of his nose, takes a few breaths, then opens his eyes and looks into the camera once more.

"I realized that today. I went to the hospital, furious, because they were supposed to keep you safe. Instead they nearly kill you, their negligence leaving you in a coma for almost a week. I thought about taking them to court, to take custody of you… but do you know what you said when you saw me walk into your room?

'Who are you?'

I was a stranger to you. I _am_ a stranger to you. I gave up any right I had to be your father long ago, when I chose myself over you. I realized that then."

He sighs, brushing some hair back from his face.

"I understand if you hate me… but Storm didn't have any choice. She loved you with everything she had. If she had any choice in the matter, I know she wouldn't have left you." He leans forward, as if intending to turn the camera off, but then he hesitates and leans back once more. "I don't know when you'll watch this, but happy birthday, James."

The screen goes dark. Lloyd waits a moment, and the screen turns back on once more. This time Cliff is already in his seat. He looks more composed than before.

"I am a fool…" He sighs. "I told myself I wouldn't try to interfere with your life, but I couldn't help myself. So long as you're in this business, working with people I know and trust, I can make sure you'll stay safe."

He sighs once more, leaning back in his chair, arms settling on the arm rests.

"Those inventions you're so fond of are dangerous enough, did you really have to become a ninja? And now one of them has even died… I am proud of you, of your accomplishments, make no mistake. But every time something goes wrong, or when the world needs saving, I worry.

…I know I have no right, but I might suggest a guest appearance after you've gained enough popularity. Will you recognize me, not as a celebrity, but as the man who visited you once in the hospital so long ago? You were barely five at the time, and you'd barely woken up from your coma, too… I'd be surprised if you remembered anything from that day."

Shaking his head, he seems ready to say something more, but a doorbell interrupts him. He curses and quickly moves to turn the camera off.

Nothing else plays, and the two ninja sit in silence for a minute.

"Well…" Cole says softly. "I think we can safely say he doesn't have anything to do with this."

"Give me one reason not to call the police."

End chapter thirteen


	15. Chapter 14

"Are you sure he's even gonna show?" Kai asks his sister, who's sitting across from him at the table they claimed.

"He said he'd be here." She huffs, adjusting the gaudy glasses that made up part of her disguise. "Just be a little patient for once."

"We've been waiting for an hour already, Nya." Kai crosses his arms and frowns. "I think he's blown us off."

"Haven't you heard of being fashionably late?" The criminal sarcastically asks, taking a seat at the table and flagging down a waitress to order a drink. "Now what's this urgent business that you so desperately needed my help with?"

"It's Jay…" Nya starts tentatively. "He's been possessed by someone who calls himself 'Viperae.' You've seen him recently, so we were hoping you might know something."

"Took you long enough." He scoffs. "Tell me, did you figure it out on your own, or did he chose to tip his hand?"

"It doesn't matter." Kai growls. "Just tell us what you know."

" _Kai_." Nya admonishes, before turning a sweet smile on the criminal. "If there's anything you can tell us about the ghost, it'd be really helpful."

"Ghost…?" He snorts a disbelieving laugh. "Whatever that was, it wasn't any ordinary _ghost_."

"What else aside from a ghost could possess someone?" Kai shakes his head.

"A demon? Look, I'm not the one who deals with the supernatural on a regular basis." Ronin pauses, then leans forward onto the table. "Listen, whoever he is, he's got power. Power enough to claim ownership of a debt I thought had disappeared along with the soul archer."

"What?" Nya gasps.

"Yeah… He said something about the contract being burned onto my soul, plain as day." The waitress reappears, drink in hand, and Ronin leans back so she can set it down on the table. Once he was sure she was gone, he turns back to the ninja. "I've been forced to either play his games or 'pay back my debt' ever since."

"How much money do you owe?" Nya asks, cringing in sympathy at the thought.

"Well, if you include interest, more than I could ever steal in this lifetime." Ronin sighs. "Although he did give me another option, I suppose…"

"Let me guess," Kai scoffs. "he wanted you to join him."

"Good guess." The criminal begrudgingly admits. "He said that he'd remove the debt if I swore complete and total loyalty to him."

"You said no, of course." Nya states, although she doesn't sound quite sure of herself.

"Without any idea of what that all entails?" the criminal scoffs. "Of course I wouldn't agree to such a foolish deal."

"Again, right?" Kai snorts, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat. "Because you obviously wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't made a foolish deal before."

"Seriously, Kai?" Nya shoots her brother a glare over her shades.

"What? It's true."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." The criminal grumbles, taking a swig of his drink. "S'not like you've never made a horrible deal or anything; traded all your shares for some scroll and a few weapons…"

The master of fire bristles, growling low in his throat.

" _Anyway_ ," Nya rolls her eyes at their antics. "Is there anything else you can tell us about him?"

"I'm afraid I don't know much, Nya." He admits with a sour look. "He's only talked about games ever since I turned down his offer."

"Ronin…" The master of water hesitates, then goes on. "Every time one of those games ends, Jay comes to see you, right?"

"The _demon_ does, yeah."

"Maybe you could try and get some more information out of him?" She looks at the criminal imploringly, batting her lashes and giving him a small, hopeful smile.

"Nya…" Ronin sighs. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to risk pissing off the person who could easily take my soul if he wanted."

"B-but-!" The master of water sputters.

"Forget it, sis." Kai huffs. "He only cares about himself."

The red ninja gets up from his chair and begins to head to the door, only pausing when Nya doesn't immediately get up to follow.

"Go." Ronin takes another swig of his drink.

"Just think about it, okay?" She slowly stands up, taking the time to drop some coins on the table to pay for their drinks. "Every little bit helps."

The two siblings depart, leaving the criminal alone.

"I thought they'd _never_ leave." Viperae sighs, slipping into the seat across from the criminal.

"You found five lost treasures already?" Ronin doesn't even sound surprised.

"You know that the fine print is important, Ronin, and 'lost treasure' isn't exactly specific. Treasure is merely something someone values, and lost can _easily_ be something stolen." He hums. "I would have been here much sooner if I'd merely gone by that, but that would be _so_ ~ dull."

"So what? Did you actually hunt down some ancient artifacts?" Ronin snorted a small laugh at the thought of the other going and raiding some museums. He'd like to see their manager try and explain that one away.

"Oh, no, nothing of the sort." He pulls out a news clipping and sets it before the other. "I figured something much more… _cathartic_ … would be better."

After a moment the criminal picks it up and glances over it.

"An article about some random couple being murdered?" The criminal gives the other a confused look. "Just how does this count as lost treasure?"

"The treasure of a caring family, lost at the age of two." Ronin stiffens as he realizes just what the demon is implying. Next up is a hunk of charred wood. "The loss of a home, as the only orphanage the village had burned down with most everyone in it, leaving no one to care for the children that survived, at the age of six."

A photo glides onto the table, sliding over the smooth surface until it flutters off the end, Ronin doesn't need to look at it to know what it is.

"The loss of a mentor and a good friend, who'd taken you in and showed you the ropes, the rules that you follow even to this day." He hums, pulls out a piece of paper, filled with scrawled writing and Ronin's name signed at the bottom. "The loss of one's soul, sold to pay for a treatment that didn't even work… resulting in the previously mentioned loss."

The criminal's grip on his glass tightens, his face had slowly drained of color as the other went on, and he waits for the final item. But the demon is silent. Eventually Ronin looks up, meets the other's even stare, and softly says.

"That's only four."

Viperae holds his hand out across the table, reaching out to the criminal, and says.

"Give me your humanity and it'll be five." His smile is serene, madness lurking deep within his eyes, and Ronin feels a chill work its way down his spine. "With it you'll lose that pain, that sadness, you'll lose every inhibition and every bit of doubt… I'll take it all, if you'll just agree to my terms."

"…I'm going to have to refuse." The criminal forces out a pained laugh.

"Then the game goes on." Viperae drops his hand, sighing over-dramatically, his chair scraping against the floor as he stands up to leave.

"…Why?"

"Hm~?"

"Why do you care whether or not I join you?" Finishing off his drink in one big gulp, the criminal turns and gives the demon a determined glare. "You could have taken my soul, or used the threat to make me do whatever you want, but you'd rather play around until I finally decide to join you myself. _Why_?"

"It's simple…" His smile is surprisingly melancholic. "If you join me, I'll tell you what that reason is."

And with nothing more than that he leaves.

* * *

There's an endless expanse of sand.

There's an endless expanse of sand and the dark sky above.

Jay's thoughts are bogged down by useless clutter, his body dragged down by an unseen force, keeping him from moving much.

Time is an illusion here.

He tries to speak, the words choke him, falling into his palm in smudged letters that clatter down to join the sand below him.

Dark, black, endless sand. Words, letters, endless, useless, pointless.

He focuses on breathing.

 _Where am I?_

His fingers sink into the black 'sand' below him as he pushes himself up to stand. His legs feel almost numb in their weakness. Slogging through the 'sand,' with its give, is a task so tiring Jay nearly gives up and resign himself to sitting in this desert of words, letters, endless darkness, and eternal pointlessness forever.

The sky rumbles up above.

One foot in front of the other, over… and over… and over… For a time he losses track of himself. He isn't thinking of what is or isn't, he just is.

There's a peace to non-existence.

There's a peace to non-existence that is utterly frightening, terrifying beyond all measure.

 _Where am I?_

He's shaking from the strain, from the effort. Tired and heavy, he just wants to lay down and sleep. He tries to speak, forgetting, choking on the letters that stick in his throat.

 _Where am I?_

He trips, stumbles, falls.

He forgets for a time. Forgets the questions, forgets the location, destination, the where and when. He forgets himself.

There's a peace to non-existence.

He struggles, his very bones aching from the strain, he struggles.

Back on his feet. Slowly. So very slowly. Forward, or is it backward now?

 _Where am I?_

There's an endless expanse of sand.

There's an endless expanse of sand and dark sky above.

He's forgetting something.

Has he remembered himself?

There's a sort of peace to non-existence.

Time is an illusion here.

The 'sand' is words, letters, endless, pointless.

Jay collapses. Jay forgets.

 _Where am I?_

There's an endless expanse of sand…

End chapter fourteen.


	16. Chapter 15

"Jay's in trouble."

That had been all Cliff needed to hear to change his attitude from cold fury to worry. He'd wanted to know what the trouble was, and so the two ninja found themselves being interrogated over coffee.

"And you thought _I_ had something to do with it?" The actor asks at the end of their explanations, seeming troubled by the thought.

"We couldn't ignore the possibility." Cole says apologetically. "We're scrambling to find anything that can help us, but so far we've got nothing."

"I see…" Cliff sets his cup aside and gives the two a serious look. "Then I won't keep you any longer. Before you go, I have an offer and a request. If there is anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to call this number."

He pulls out a business card, flips it over, and writes down a number on the back. He hands it to Lloyd, who looks it over for a moment before asking.

"And the request?"

"…Forget what you saw here today." Cliff picks his mug back up, wrapping his hands around it for the warmth that had mostly faded by this point.

"What?" Lloyd's brows pinch in confusion. "I mean, I guess it's kind of embarrassing, considering you've practically built a shrine to Jay…"

Cole clears his throat and subtly shakes his head at Lloyd. The green ninja is confused as to what the ghost is trying to get at, so Cole just rolls his eyes and turns to the actor and says.

"We won't tell anyone what we saw here," Cole promises. "but everything we found out outside of here is fair game. Jay deserves to know the truth."

Cliff Gordon's stare is heavy, but Cole doesn't budge.

"Fine." The actor stands, signaling the end of their conversation. "I can't stop you."

He escorts them to the door, likely to make certain that they don't wander off to look through any other personal things of his.

* * *

The steady rhythm of tapping and clicking fills the bridge as Zane and Echo work together to look up information. They'd already found most everything there was to find, even going back a few weeks prior to the incident to see if there was someone who was stalking the blue ninja, but their search was ultimately fruitless.

"Brother…?" Echo breaks the silence.

"Yes, Brother?" Zane pauses in his search to meet the other nindroid's worried gaze.

"Will Jay… Will he be alright?"

Zane's first instinct is to say 'yes, of course,' but he stops short. Echo is watching him, waiting for an answer, but Zane finds he can't.

His own worry is too great, clouding his vision, and nothing seems certain.

"Brother?" Echo's worry only grows, and guilt eats away at Zane, that he couldn't be a proper older brother and assuage the younger's fears.

"Did you find anything?" Kai asks as soon as he steps in, the others all filing in after him. "Because we didn't get much."

"Yeah," Cole sighs. "we only found out that Cliff wasn't involved."

"I am afraid we did not find anything of use." Zane tells the others. "There is nothing we can find that would give us an idea of when or who could have possessed Jay."

"Ronin seemed to think that Viperae was a demon." Nya shrugs. "He said that he managed to take ownership of the debt he owed to the soul archer."

"…I suppose we could look into types of demons. See if any of the legends match up with what we've seen and heard so far."

"Which isn't much." Lloyd kicks at nothing on the ground, seeming agitated. "Have there been any more news reports?"

"No." Echo shakes his head. "Although Dareth did call to ask us what was going on and to demand that we return his calls from now on."

A message pops up just then with a new call.

"It is an unknown number." Echo looks to his brother, silently asking what to do, and Zane gives him a small nod. The bronze nindroid answers the call, causing a black screen with lines that changed with the audio levels to pop up. Whoever was calling was using a normal phone, not a video phone.

"Hey, it's Ronin." The infamous criminal's voice rings out clearly.

"Ronin!" Nya sounds happy. "Did you find out anything new?!"

"Not unless 'petty jackass' counts as new." He sighs, aggravation clear in his tone. "After our last ' _game'_ didn't go the way he wanted, he decided to take REX. I found out this morning when he left me with just my keys and some note covered in gibberish."

"Oh… Then why did you call?" The master of water asks.

"I'm going to need your help in tracking down my ship."

"…Did you keep the note?" Zane asks suddenly.

"What?" Ronin seems confused. "Am I on speakerphone?"

"Yes." Echo replies.

"Aw, geez, you tin cans are impossible to tell apart over the phone."

"But you were aware that both of us spoke. You must be able to differentiate our voices to some degree."

"You're the rust bucket, aren't you?"

"I am not a bucket."

"Thought so."

" _Ronin_." Zane says forcefully, dragging the other's attention back on topic. "Did you keep the note?"

"It's probably still in the trashcan in my room." You could practically hear the shrug in his voice. "Why?"

"I think I might be able to read what it says."

"It's not like it's just bad handwriting," Ronin scoffs. "It's just a bunch of random scribbles."

"I will explain when we arrive." Zane's tone is clipped. "Now tell us where you are."

"Geez, what's got your plating in a twist?"

"We're all on edge, Ronin." Cole very nearly sighs. "Now isn't the time."

"Fine, fine… I'll tell you where I am."

* * *

No matter how much Ronin stared at the note, he couldn't figure out why the tin can was interested in it. It was just a bunch of random symbols as far as the criminal could tell. No real meaning, or directions that could lead him to his ship.

He crumpled it back up and tossed it onto the desk in his room. The nindroid had insisted on meeting inside the room as opposed to outside, for some reason, and he'd just hung up on him when the criminal asked why.

Ronin knew that the ninja (sans Nya) all disliked him to some degree, but Zane had always been polite at least… unless the criminal messing with his 'brother' had soured the walking toaster's attitude towards him.

A quick rapping on the door broke him from his thoughts.

Springing up from his seat on the bed, he quickly opened the door and leaned on the doorframe.

"You don't look like room service." He snarked.

"That is because we are not." Echo says innocently, giving him a worried look. "Do you not remember us? We spoke on the phone moments ago."

"I remember who you are." He rolls his eyes. "Come on, get in here."

He stands back and lets them in, the titanium nindroid pausing only to scan the room before making his way over to the desk and smoothing out the crumpled paper.

"I never said that was the note." Ronin scoffs.

"It is the only paper here, unless you have it on your person, which I doubt considering you'd previously thrown it away." Zane says over his shoulder, not even bothering to look up.

"Fine, it's the note." Ronin admits. "Can you make any sense of that gibberish?"

"It isn't gibberish." Zane lifts the note up to the light. "They're runes."

"…Wait, runes?" Cole sits up, surprise appearing on his face. "You mean like-, do you think Viperae was the one who was writing in that book?"

"Book…?" Ronin glanced between the two, then at the note, and a memory hits him. The book he'd taken, he remembered finding it full of gibberish, so he'd just dumped it somewhere random.

"No, I don't believe that Viperae would write what was written in that book…" Lowering the note once more, the nindroid pulls out a pen and starts writing on the note. "And I do not think Jay wrote this note, if you were wondering."

"Wait, what book are you guys even talking about?" Kai asks, looking miffed at being left out of the loop.

"Jay had some kind of secret diary that Zane read." Cole says it like it's no big deal. "It was full of runes, too… Hey, Zane, are you sure Jay didn't write that note?"

"Positive. The handwriting is different, and it's only a bunch of coordinates along with the words 'happy treasure hunting' written on it." He holds up the note with his changes up for them to see.

"…Don't tell me." Ronin can't decide if he should be more exasperated or angry. "He took apart REX, scattered her pieces everywhere, and now I have to go to those coordinates to get them back?"

"It appears that way." The nindroid confirms.

"Brother," The bronze nindroid 'whispers', leaning in close to the master of ice. "I thought he said not to tell him?"

"That is merely a figure of speech. He did not truly mean what he said."

"I do not understand."

"I will explain in more detail later, I promise."

"Okay."

"So what am I supposed to do?" Ronin can't help the anger from slipping through his tone. "How am I supposed to find all of these without a ship?"

"We could help." Nya offers. "It's not like we've made any progress looking for info, anyway, and maybe we'll figure something out along the way."

"Sis." Kai turns to his sister, giving her a look that is cautious at best (mistrustful at worst). "That's a pretty big if."

"Zane and Echo can keep searching for info while we look." She crosses her arms, giving her brother an unamused look. "There's no reason not to help him look."

"…we'll help Ronin." Lloyd decides.

"Thanks-"

" _Not_ because you asked." Lloyd gives him a stern look. "But because it'll probably give us another chance to find Jay."

"Sure." Ronin snorts. "As long as I get REX back, I don't care why you're helping."

"Cole." The master of energy turns to the master of earth. "I want you to start planning."

"Planning for what?" The ghost raises an eyebrow at the other, curious.

"We need to be ready," He squares his shoulders, a determined look appearing on his face as he addressed not just the black ninja, but all of them. "to capture Jay."

* * *

Cyrus Borg wheels into his lab and flicks on the lights. Something moves in the corner of his eye, causing his heart to leap into his throat, and his head whipped over in that direction, his hand tightening on the control of his wheel chair, before he breathes a sigh of relief.

"Jay…" He puts a hand to his chest, takes a few deep breaths to try and calm his pounding heart, and turns to the blue ninja who was grinning at him, giving the younger inventor a mild glare. "You startled me."

"Sorry~." The other almost has a sing-song quality to their voice. "I wanted to come by and check up on you, but I couldn't use the front door, or those annoying people would've found me."

"I see." He carefully shuts the door behind himself and wheels further into the room. "While I do appreciate the visit, I would have preferred you called first next time. Also, you did not need to sit in the dark while you waited."

"I'll keep that in mind." He looks around, hands folded behind his back, and hums thoughtfully. "It's amazing everyone trusted your machines after what happened."

Cryrus smiles grimly.

"Yes, it was not easy dealing with the negative publicity that the Overlord caused." The tension in his smile eased a bit as he turned to meet Jay's blue eyes (was it the artificial lightning that made the color look off?) and gratefully says. "All of your help did wonders in that regard. I cannot thank you enough."

Jay laughs, giddy, lifting a hand to cover his mouth.

"M- _hm_ ~." He hums, turning away. "Well, I shouldn't dawdle, I did have a reason for coming here."

"Did you require my help with something?" He'd enjoyed building vehicles for the ninja to help them combat the ghost scourge, and he did owe them, so he saw no problems in helping if he were able.

"Yes and no." Turning to face the other inventor fully, Jay gives him as serious a look as one can give while smiling. "You see, you're in possession of a few items I need."

"I can't guarantee I'll have what you're looking for-"

"I think you misunderstand." The master of lightning laughs, his amusement clear and just slightly insulting to the other inventor. "I'm looking for two things, which I know you have. The golden armor and the realm crystal."

Cyrus' surprise was clear on his face.

"That's…" He hesitates, his eyes lingering on the brilliant blue of the lightning master's gi. The lighting wasn't changing its color… yet his eyes looked almost… no. "Of course. There's a lot of security measures, though, so it'll take some time. I'll call you when I have them."

"You can't just give me the codes? Or whatever it is you need to deactivate it?"

"I'm afraid not." He tries to act natural, to turn to his computer and have that be the end of the conversation, but a hand shoots out and grabs onto the arm of his wheelchair.

"Why not?" The amusement in the other inventor's eyes had turned dark. "Do you have it tuned to your biometrics?"

 _I must have been mistaken, this person obviously understands technology._

"That is a small part of it, yes." He has to be careful, to choose his words with care. "There's a mixture of codes and biometric locks, as well as the nindroids who are trained to attack any perceived threat."

"What a shame…" He sighs, letting go of Cyrus' wheel chair and setting his hand on the nearby computer. "I was hoping this would be easy."

"Yes, well, I wanted to make absolutely certain that they were secure."

"…From people like me, right~?" He laughs.

"I don't know what you mean. You ninja are the ones who asked me to look after these items."

"Oh, why don't you drop the act?" He sighs dramatically. There's a crackling of electricity and the smell of burnt plastic and fried wires fills the air. "Now, I'll make this simple. You're going to help me."

"Or what?"

"There is no 'or what,' little spider." He laughs, stepping away from the computer, hands held up in almost a shrug and crackling with electricity tinged the same odd shade as his eyes. "You're _going_ to help me."

"…I won't help you get the golden armor or the realm crystal." Cyrus say sternly.

"And people say you're a smart man…"

End chapter fifteen


	17. Chapter 16

Cyrus' fingers wouldn't stop twitching. Sweat beaded his forehead, steadily dripping down his face as they gathered enough mass. He was trying to catch his breath, as the monster had decided to give him a 'little breather' as he'd called it.

"It hurts, I know." He hums something tuneless. "But you _know~_ what you need to do to end it."

The inventor clenches his teeth, glaring at the other.

"I will… _never_ … help you." He pants.

"You know…" the monster sighs. He grips Cyrus' chin, lifting his face up and looking down on him in contempt. "I would rather not use brute force to get my way, but I will if I have to. And I can promise you, as unpleasant as this is, brute force will be _so much worse_."

"…Do your worst."

"So be it."

* * *

"What is this?" Cole swallows heavily.

"This," Zane says softly. "is an audio recording we received from Cyrus Borg late last night."

"Why didn't you wake us up?" Lloyd asks, sounding equally distressed.

"We had to decrypt it before we could listen to it."

"So why aren't we heading to Cyrus' place right now?" Kai clenches his fists. "He might need our help!"

"We need to be smart about this." Cole says, looking troubled. "This might be our only chance in a while to get the drop on this guy."

"Kai's right, though, we can't just ignore someone who needs our help." Lloyd shakes his head.

"We don't have to." Cole assures the master of energy. "We could send Ronin, Echo, and Nya to go help Cyrus while the rest of us head off to get the drop on Viperae."

"I get sending Ronin and Echo…" Nya gives the master of earth a miffed look. "but why me?"

"Viperae can use Jay's powers. He proved that when he attacked me…" He gives her a no-nonsense look. "As the master of water, your powers are going to be the riskiest to use against someone who can control electricity."

"And Zane's power isn't risky?" She scoffs. "It's just frozen water, you know."

"Ice does not conduct electricity the way that water does." Echo helpfully supplies.

"Every second we spend arguing over this is pointless." Lloyd says sternly. "We go with Cole's plan."

"What about transportation?" Ronin asks, raising an eyebrow at them. "We still haven't gotten all the parts to my ship, and you all only have _this_. So how're we getting to our destination?"

"Viperae will be less likely to notice us if we don't use the Bounty." Cole shrugs. "And we do have our elemental dragons, so it's not like we're entirely without transportation."

"We better get going, then." Lloyd decides. "You can go over the details on the way."

With that the four ninja filed out the door, leaving the master of water, the bronze nindroid, and the criminal in the bridge.

"You know they're just trying to get us out of the way for one reason or another." Ronin breaks the silence that had settled over them.

"What do you mean?" Echo turns away from the monitor to look at the criminal curiously. "We are going to help Cyrus so that the others can focus on capturing Jay."

"That's what they want you to think." Ronin crosses his arms and leans back against the wall. "The truth is, that guy wouldn't be stupid enough to leave the _one_ person who knows the ins and outs of those facilities behind. We're going to get there, and the place will be totally empty."

"That…" The bronze nindroid hesitates. "If there is even the slightest possibility that Cyrus is still there and requires our help, we cannot ignore it."

Ronin scoffs, rolling his eyes at the other, but Echo merely turns back to the monitor with a determined stare. Nya, although she doesn't say anything, silently agrees with the criminal.

… _Why did I ever want to be a part of this stupid boy's club?_

* * *

Cole does his best to still his breathing (even if he isn't sure he even needs to breathe anymore), and blend into his surroundings. The success of this mission hinges on them catching Viperae off guard and keeping him off kilter.

 _I never thought I'd miss my normal black gi. Being a glowing ghost makes hiding really difficult…_

Staying invisible for long periods of time was tiring.

 _Did he choose to go after the golden armor first?_

Cole grits his teeth at the thought. He'd figured the other would need an army to help him transport the golden armor, so he'd be more likely to go after the realm crystal first, which is why he'd said they should stake out this facility and not the other one. But if the other knew of some way to transport, or even use the golden armor without any assistance, than they'd be facing an enemy that could have power on par with the overlord… or maybe the ghost had accidentally killed Jay while trying.

Worry twisted in Cole's stomach as the seconds ticked on. Losing Zane had been horrible, even if the nindroid had knowingly sacrificed himself. If Jay lost his life because of this… If they'd wasted too much time, or if Cole had made the wrong choice, and Jay died…

The rustling of leaves catches the master of earth's attention and pulls him from his spiraling thoughts.

Relief catches as a sigh in his throat when he sees Jay walking towards the facility that was holding the realm crystal. He wasn't singed, or limping, or even adorned in gold. He hadn't gone after the golden armor after all.

 _What took him so long, then?_

Brushing aside that question for later, Cole forces himself to focus on the moment. There couldn't be any slipups now.

Steady footfalls… _thump_ … _thump_ … _thump_ … unhurried in their pace. The set of his shoulders spoke of casual confidence, the small smile on his face played against the glint in his eyes to display his almost giddy eagerness.

 _He must really want the realm crystal._

It's Zane who moves first, according to plan, and tosses several shuriken at Viperae, aimed close enough to startle, maybe even nick him, but not actually hit him. They move fast, just a blur, but Viperae reacts instantly, appearing to bat them aside with an arm.

Cole flinches as the shuriken are imbedded in the tree nearby, and blinks in amazement.

"There you are~!" The villain sing-songs, turning towards Zane's hiding place. "I was wondering when you'd make your move."

Alarm bells were ringing in Cole's head. He'd known they were waiting to ambush him… This was bad.

Breaking from his cover, the master of ice throws several more shuriken and charges forward. Viperae bends backwards to dodge, catching himself on his hands, and then kicking off to flip over back onto his feet quickly.

Zane's there within seconds, katana drawn and covered in a shimmering layer of ice. He doesn't hesitate to attack, his blade making an arc above his head, and clashing with the arm the other raises to block. The ice breaks off, peppering the villain's (Jay's) hair and clothes in sparkling shards, as the clang of metal hitting metal fills the air.

The nindroid jumps back before the crackle of electricity can start and runs his hand over the flat of his blade, covering it in another layer of ice.

"You're a clever one~!" Viperae laughs. With a flick of his wrist, there's the sound of tearing cloth as two blades rip free from the already cut fabric of his sleeve. "I think I'll enjoy taking you apart."

He darts forward, blades flashing as he prepares to attack, only to pull back a split second before a fireball streaks past. Kai steps out from his hiding place, sword gripped in hand and a sneer on his face.

"You son of a-"

" _Kai_." Zane snaps. "Stay focused."

"Two against one?" Viperae lifts a hand (the one without the two blades) to his chest and puts on a display of mock worry. "Now, just how am I supposed to win?"

Heedless of his friend's warning, Kai growls and recklessly rushes forward to attack.

Cole mentally tries to tell the master of fire to stop and think before he acts, but Kai had always acted on instinct and emotional outbursts. He cringes when, instead of dodging away, Viperae steps into the attack and uses the red ninja's momentum to throw him over his shoulder.

Zane steps in then, before the villain can use the momentary shock that drop had caused to do anything else to their foolish friend. First he throws a shuriken, forcing the villain to dodge back, and then the master of ice is clashing blades with the other in rapid succession.

Kai quickly gets to his feet, not bothering to dust off the dirt that's clinging to his clothes, and jumps back into the battle. Cole watches the battle intently, every traded blow, Viperae's almost graceful movements, going from one thing to another seamlessly without any trouble, unperturbed by the two opponents he was facing.

 _There has to be an opening…_

He could feel the strain, knew that his invisibility would fail him at any moment now, but gritted his teeth and did his best to hold out. This plan had to work. It was their best chance. It _had_ to work.

A flash of green joins the fray as Lloyd breaks from his hiding place. There's a slight stumble, a change of momentum that couldn't be graceful no matter who did it, and then it's as if Viperae changes gear. He's no longer playing defensively, no longer toying with them, and the air crackles with a power he's stolen.

They can no longer get close for fear of electrocution. Cole smiles grimly. He was playing into their hands now.

Kai unleashes a series of fireballs, none meant to hit, while Zane throws more shuriken, forcing the villain to dodge within a hairs breath of each. Lloyd darts in quick, able to handle the lower-level electricity with the use of his own powers, and forces the villain to retreat a step.

Even as he's forced back, he doesn't show the annoyance that most would, rather, he revels in the battle. Cole can't help but wonder what's going on in his head, if he's even got a goal other than random chaos, but he brushes that aside for now.

The master of earth slowly begins to creep forward, careful not to make too much noise or draw any attention to himself. His invisibility would be pointless if he forgot all of his ninja training, after all.

The battle goes on in tizzying seconds, clashes of blades and elements flying every which way at speeds that would leave most boggling. Kai throws some fire, Viperae spins to dodge, easily flowing the movement into his next, a slash aimed for Lloyd, who has to divert his own movement to block, before he jumps back to avoid a shuriken thrown by Zane. Then there's Kai's blade to deal with, which he blocks with his claw blades, reaching out with his other hand, intent clear enough that the master of fire knows to jump back to avoid being electrocuted. A step to the left to avoid Lloyd's sword thrusted in his direction, drop down to dodge a blast of ice overhead and to sweep the feet out from under the green ninja.

The battle goes on in this manner, each fighter slowly wearing out, and Cole waits for his opportunity to present itself. He could feel his invisibility start to slip and he knew this was it. Carefully, quickly, he races forward, ducking and weaving around his friend's when needed, before he collided with his unsuspecting target.

 _How different could possessing a person be from possessing anything else?_

A lot different, he found out. It felt like being underwater, pressure all around him, while simultaneously being in a river that was trying to push him in a certain direction. That direction likely being _out_ , so he did his best to fight it.

Cole was vaguely aware of what was going on outside. The fighting had ceased for the moment, giving him hope that he was at least affecting the other, causing his control of their friend to slip. Even if Cole couldn't force the other to leave his friend's body, he could at least safely escort it into a secure place, where they could try and figure out a solution without worrying about future attacks or Jay's wellbeing.

Suddenly, it's like he breaks the surface, and he finds himself pulling free of black sand.

Taking a moment to take stock of where he is, he's confused to find that he's not in the area before the facility holding the realm crystal, but in some sort of black desert. The sky is filled with stormy, black clouds that leave very little light or color to differentiate anything here. Even the skyline in the distance is rather vague.

Looking down at himself, Cole is surprised to find that he's normal here. Not a glowing green ghost, but a person of flesh and blood, clothed in a typical black ninja gi. It brings back the feelings he'd thought he'd gotten over already (it'd been months, how long could he mourn his own lost life?), and for a moment he just stares at his hands, at their fleshy tones and the fact that he can't see the floor through them.

The sky rumbles and he remembers why he came here. Or, rather, what brought him here inadvertently. If this was some part of the process of possessing someone, than he'd have to figure out what to do here.

Maybe he should have practiced before now… If they'd had any time before this, he would have. After this, he'll talk to the others about it, because right now it seems like a vital skill.

Standing, Cole begins to walk, and finds that the sand here is less than agreeable. It sinks more than sand at a beach would, almost like it's trying to suck him back under, to spit him back outside without any hope of helping his friend.

Walking here is monotony, without even the movement of clouds or the changing of scenery to give the illusion of progression. His focus slipping, Cole ends up tripping, yelping in surprise, and ending up with a mouthful of that black sand.

 _I never needed to know that it tastes foul… hey, wait, this kind of looks like…_

Picking up a small handful, he brings it closer to his face, and examines the 'sand'.

"Huh… they're tiny runes." He blinks in surprise as the words seems to pour from his mouth, float on the air for a moment, before slowly falling down to the ground below like a balloon losing helium. This place was strange. "I wonder if Morro had to go through something like this in order to possess Lloyd."

He hadn't asked the green ninja what it was like to be possessed. That had seemed like something a little invasive to be asking, even as close as they all were, and the master of energy hadn't offered up much of anything in the way of info. That, perhaps, had been an oversight on his part.

Shaking his head, Cole moves to stand up once more, intent on continuing his aimless path, when a flash of color catches his eye. Blue, specifically. His heart catches in his throat as he quickly moves over to the small patch of blue in the endless black.

Brushing away the tiny, sand-like runes, he reveals more and more blue, until it forms the familiar figure of the very person he was trying to possess. Wrapping his arms around the other's torso, he pulls the other from the 'sand' fully.

"Jay?" He calls, but the other doesn't answer, likely unconscious as he's completely limp. Worry settles like a rock in the master of earth's stomach. Gently turning the other over, he's shocked into silence at the sight.

Black, like endless night, looked to be eating away at parts of his friend. At the edges were those runes, like tattoos on his skin, not smudging when Cole ran his thumb over them. The only comfort for the master of earth was that the blue ninja was still breathing at the moment.

"Jay, man, you need to wake up." He gives the other a small shake. No response. "It's going to be alright… just hold on."

Cole wasn't sure what he could do, or even where they were, but he hoists Jay up into his arms and starts to walk. At the same time he keeps up a dialogue to his unconscious friend, reassurances, explaining what had happened while he was indisposed, and just whatever came to mind.

After some time (long enough for Cole's throat to start hurting from all the talking), there's movement from the person in his arms.

"Jay?" Cole can't help but ask excitedly.

Jay's eyes slowly open, one his normal blue, the other pitch black from the darkness, and his gaze settles on the one holding him. Cole's expecting his usual joking, or his complaining about being held like a girl, or anything, really.

But there's nothing.

There's no light of recognition in his eyes, no embarrassment hidden by terrible jokes, or even his ever present anxiety. He opens his mouth to speak, and the words are like nothing Cole has ever heard, like some twisted mashup of two different languages, and quickly he starts to choke.

The master of earth kneels down and helps the other sit up so that it'll hopefully be easier to clear his air ways. Rubbing his back soothingly until the master of lightning's breathing returns to normal.

He can't help but notice the black around his neck, like fingers, like the bruises left behind from someone trying to choke him. It's disconcerting. As he watches, more runes appear, overlapping with the old, causing the darkness to spread a little bit further.

"Jay…" He grabs the other's shoulders, who looks at him with slight alarm. "There's someone possessing you." Confusion. He doesn't understand… Does he even remember what was happening? "Listen, you _need_ to remember, Jay."

His brows furrow, he mouths the word 'remember', before something sifts and Cole finds himself being violently thrown aside. When he opens his eyes it isn't dark, stormy skies or endless black 'sand', but the clearing his friends were fighting Viperae in.

Sitting up, he meets the villain's enraged glare.

"You…" His hands crackle with lightning, a power that shouldn't be his, and Cole throws up a barrier of earth to subvert the blow he knows is coming.

It's harder than expected, this whole thing has left him so tired he could sleep for a hundred years, probably. So the barrier was only what was needed, something to divert an electrical charge, not withstand what comes next.

It starts with what almost sounds like a gunshot, then cracks form in the barrier, and then it collapses.

" _Tsk_." Viperae sneers. "Guess my calculations were off."

"Zane's been hit!" Lloyd announces. Cole glances back to see the nindroid gripping his leg, where some kind of fluid seemed to be leaking out.

"I am fine." He assures his friends. "But Viperae is gone…"

In their momentary distraction the villain had made his escape. Cole stared at the empty space, feeling disheartened. This had been their one sure chance to catch the other.

"What do you think the chances of him coming back without an army is?" Cole glances at the nindroid, whose leg appeared to be frozen as a temporary measure and was now using Kai and Lloyd to help support him.

"Less than one percent."

Cole doesn't say anything in reply. There really isn't anything more to say. They'd lost their chance. They'd blown it and now Jay was who knew where in the hands of some demented villain whose goals were a mystery.

"Hey uh…" Lloyd hesitates, before carefully asking. "What happened there? He, uh, he kinda freaked out when you tried to possess him."

"…I found Jay."

"What?"

"Before you ask," He quickly adds before any of his friends can fire off the questions they must have. "It's a long story, and I'd rather have it over food."

He was starving…

End chapter sixteen


	18. Chapter 17

The lingering smell of burnt plastic is the first thing that greets Echo, Nya, and Ronin when they step into the laboratory that belonged to none other than Cyrus Borg. Echo took quick stock of their surroundings, noting that all the cameras appeared to be disabled, as well as much of the equipment, but that the place was relatively untouched.

"Cyrus?" Echo calls out. "Mr. Borg?"

There's silence in return.

"What is it that they always do in those old mystery shows?" Ronin questions sarcastically.

"I have not watched much television." The lighthouse didn't even have a TV, actually, but Echo didn't think it'd get a very good signal even if they'd had one. "What is it they usually do?"

"He means splitting up." Nya glances into one of the side rooms, giving it a quick once over before moving on.

"Oh. That would be more efficient."

"It's usually a bad thing to do, Echo."

"Why?"

She stops at the question, turning to look at the nindroid as if he'd asked a very basic question that should be obvious. Ronin slips something into his pocket (Echo would have to ask about that later) and gives the bronze nindroid an almost pitying look.

"Because then it'd be pathetically easy to pick us off."

"Pick us off…? Off of what?"

"If this was a horror movie, you'd be the first to die."

Echo bristled at the other's comment. He was made to protect those who could not protect themselves, and while he might have trouble fighting without someone to protect, that did not mean he was defenseless.

"Oh, no…" Nya's gasp cuts their conversation short. She rushes into one of the rooms, followed quickly by Echo, and cautiously by Ronin.

The room itself, aside from the overwhelming smell of burnt plastic coming from the fried computers, was untouched. At the center of it was Cyrus; he was sitting limply in his wheel chair, staring up at the ceiling blankly.

As they approached, Echo got a better look at the man. His hair was in a state of disarray that did not look intentional, like Kai claimed his own hair was, and his gaze was unfocused.

"Cyrus?" Nya calls gently. She reaches out and gives his shoulder a little shake. "Cyrus, are you ok?"

"He obviously isn't ok, Nya." Ronin steps up, looking over the inventor with a look of trepidation. "That demon got to him… and I guess he didn't like being opposed."

"Why would he turn on Cyrus?" Echo asks, turning to the criminal, who looked a little paler than before. "You did not agree to help him, either, but he did not do this to you."

"I…" Echo is surprised to note that Ronin's hands are shaking when he crosses his arms over his chest. "Cyrus wasn't what he wanted, he was just an obstacle. If he decides that I'm not worth the trouble, then I'm sure this'll be my fate, too… or worse."

"Are you guys just going to stand around talking?!" Nya huffs. "We need to get him to the hospital."

"O-of course!" Echo feels a spike of guilt for not acting sooner. He was meant to help people, not stand around debating why they were hurt in the first place. "Could you call an ambulance while I check his vitals?"

"…There's no signal down here." She taps her bracelet a few times, but it only gives a sad little beep in response. "I'll have to go back outside."

"...No signal?" Ronin mutters quietly, watching Nya as she hurries outside to make the call. Echo turns his attention to checking Cyrus' vitals. "Hey, rust bucket, is it possible for the computers here to send a message?"

"Before they were destroyed, yes, I believe so." He notes down the heartbeat. It was a little higher than normal, but otherwise seemed fine. "Also, I am not a bucket."

"Yeah, whatever." Echo was certain the criminal had rolled his eyes. "Do you think Cyrus ever left this place after that demon wrecked everything?"

"Considering his current state, no, I do not think he did." His breathing was normal, and his temperature was just a little on the cold side. He turns to glance at Ronin over his shoulder, who looks extremely worried. "Those are some specific questions; is there a particular reason you are curious about this?"

"…Who sent the audio files?"

"What?"

"If Cyrus was like _this_ ever since that demon left, who sent the audio files!?"

There's a moment of stillness, no more than a millisecond, wherein Echo realizes what Ronin is getting at. The bronze nindroid shoots to his feet, worry that almost boarders on panic taking hold, and he rushes after Nya.

Viperae had sent them the files.

Their friends were walking into a trap.

Echo had to help, had to warn his brother, he had to-

" **Intruder alert. Dispatching nindroids now."**

* * *

Climbing to his feet, he brushes away the black 'sand' that was clinging to his clothes.

 _I have to remember._

He knew it was important, even if the reason why had already slipped away.

 _There was a person…_

He couldn't remember their face, or their name, but he knew they wanted him to remember.

 _I have to remember._

The sky above rumbles, a violent churning in the air, and he turns his face to the sky.

 _That's right… I'm lightning._

Raising his hands, he beckons the sky.

 _Help me remember. I_ _ **need**_ _to remember._

With a mighty crack, with a rumble louder than any before, lightning lights up the world for a second when it strikes the ground nearby. In a violent flurry a reel of video tape shoots up from the spot into the sky, kicking up the 'sand' around it.

His chest flutters, hope lighting up to drive away the darkness he didn't realize had taken hold of him.

 _That's not too far. If I can just reach it, it'll help me remember._

So he starts to walk, trudging through the black 'sand' that tries to slow him down. He stumbles, he falls, but he gets up every time.

He had a goal now, and he wouldn't be deterred.

 _I_ _ **will**_ _remember…_

When he finally reaches the reel, he's panting, so tired he thinks he'll collapse. Before that, though, he reaches out to the reel and then-

" _Jay, buddy, are you looking forward to spending the weekend with your uncle Al?"_

He stumbles, falls, his heart tries to beat its way out of his chest as he falls farther and farther, the world around him warping until…

Until he's standing in a living room, surrounded by three adults. He looks down, he's tiny, he's four (almost five now).

"Jay, buddy," He looks up at his uncle, who has a bright smile. "are you looking forward to spending a weekend with your uncle Al?"

"Yeah!" He smiles back, excited. "I can show you all the boopwints I made!"

"You definitely take after your Da." His uncle laughs, turning to give Da a teasing smile. "He's lucky he found a woman who could put up with his obsession."

"His passion for inventing was part of the reason I fell for him." Ma chuckles.

"Alright, enough of that now." Da shakes his head. He turns to Jay and kneels before him. "Now remember, Jay, the attic is off limits. I want you to promise me you won't go up there."

"I pwomise." He makes a little cross over his heart to prove how serious he is.

Da smiles, ruffles his hair, and then stands. He and Ma are heading to the door, waving, promising they'll be back just as soon as the convention is over.

"With a trophy bigger than you are, kiddo." Da promises.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to call." Ma insists. "Even if you just want to hear our voices."

He's waving, watching them drive off from the porch, and then the world is tilting and… He lands in black sand.

He takes a moment, stares up at the sky, and slowly he finds himself speaking.

"It's not enough…"

He needs to remember more.

* * *

"…huh." Lloyd says at the end of Cole's explanation. "That wasn't what it was like when Morro possessed me."

"What was it like?" Cole asks, surprise clear on his face.

"Well… It was like being an observer in my own body. I could see and hear everything Morro did, but it was a struggle to make my body do anything…" The master of energy frowns. "But I could at least hear you guys encouraging me. It was part of the reason I fought so hard."

"So why's this time different?" Kai asks, nursing a few bruises as best he could.

"We do not know if it would be different for different people." Zane says slowly. "We also do not know how Lloyd's status as the green ninja affects such things."

"That's true…" Cole takes another bite of his sandwich. Despite the massive ghost invasion, there were surprisingly few people who'd been possessed. In fact, Cole could only think of two: Lloyd and Ronin. "Well, I guess we could always ask Ronin what it was like for him."

As much as he disliked the criminal he doubted the man would lie to them about it, and they were helping him get his ship back in order, so it's not like he could just turn around and demand something for the info.

"Speaking of," Zane suddenly looks troubled. "I would have thought that they would be back by now."

"They probably just decided to wait at the hospital to make sure Cyrus would be alright." Kai flexes his arm experimentally.

"Yes, well, I am going to call them to confirm whether or not they have found Cyrus." The master of ice leaves at a pace that gives away his unease. Or at least it does to Cole.

Looking down at his food, the master of earth lets his mind wonder back to what he saw in there. The runes, the markings that seemed to be consuming his friend, the endless darkness.

 _Is Jay going to be okay?_

His stomach twinges painfully. He probably ate a bit too much. He forces himself to push his plate away and stand up. He doesn't say where he's going, but the other two don't question him. Maybe it's just obvious that he's going to follow the white ninja, or maybe the other two just want some time to talk alone.

Lloyd and Kai were almost like brothers, after all, and not like the group were brothers in arms, but an actual family of sorts. The master of fire, though he'd never admit it, worried about the master of energy in the same way he worried about his sister. He'd made that more than apparent when Lloyd had been possessed.

Cole didn't want to think any less of Kai, but it was obvious that that same worry didn't extend to Jay. The master of fire might care about all of them as friends, but he wasn't going out of his way to try and reach the master of lightning, to try and get him to fight the one controlling him like he did Lloyd. He'd even let his rage blind him to the fact that he was essentially attacking his friend.

Zane very nearly runs into Cole in the hallway. The two stopping short of a collision.

"Za-?"

"They're not picking up." Zane's brows are furrowed. "I think something may have happened."

Cole's own brows furrow in confusion. Viperae couldn't be in two places at once, right? He'd been fighting them long enough for the others to get there, either find Cyrus or not, and then get out.

"Are you sure?" He can't help but ask. He regrets it a moment later as cold anger flashes in the nindroid's eyes.

"I'm certain that my brother would've called us if he were able. That fact that he didn't means something must have prevented him from doing so."

 _Wait… he's not talking like he usually does._

"Zane, are you feeling alright?"

"What?" The master of ice seems thrown by the question.

"I mean, you're kind of… talking differently? You don't usually use contractions."

"That… That is not important right now." The titanium nindroid shakes his head. "We need to head over to Cyrus' lab and make sure the others are alright."

 _He stopped… was it because I pointed it out?_

"Right. Let's go get the others, then."

Zane brushes past him before he can finish speaking, and he can't help but think he would have been better off keeping his concerns to himself. Even if Zane had been acting a little strangely as of late.

Brushing those thoughts aside, he quickly heads after the other.

* * *

The sky above rumbled, more lightning struck the ground. Once, twice, three times. Reels of tape springing up wherever it struck.

The sand was marginally easier to walk through, although it still slowed him down, but he was making progress. His head felt clearer, too, even though his memory still felt jumbled.

 _You can't stop me…_

He isn't sure what or who the thought is aimed at. Maybe he's only thinking it at the sand. Maybe he's thinking it at the creeping darkness. What he does know is that he won't let anything stop him now.

He approaches the next reel and reaches out, lets it pull him in, feels his stomach drop at the sensation of falling until he's cupping his hands under a running faucet.

He splashes water on his face, takes a few deep breaths, and tells himself that he'll be fine.

Grabbing a towel, he dries his face off and glances up at the mirror before him. Soft brown eyes and sandy blond hair greets him. He looks tired, unbelievably so, but that wasn't unusual. Getting only four hours of sleep a night on average will do that to a person, no matter if they're only twenty four.

Stepping out of the bathroom quickly, he makes his way to the door of his apartment. He'd be fine, even if his head felt like it was being split open from the inside, or breathing through his nose was difficult.

 _All things come second to the pursuit of knowledge._

He thinks those words over and over, as he rides the monorail, as he signs in, and he runs into his superior, who stops him.

"-Y-, you don't look so good."

"I'm fine…" He tries to sound convincing, but his throat is sore, leaving him sounding so very hoarse.

"Go home." His superior says with authority. "We don't need you getting everyone else here sick."

The words sting. It's ridiculous, but they sting so very badly. He might as well have called him worse than useless.

"I-I won't-" He breaks off into a coughing fit that leaves his ribs aching.

"Come on, I'll drive you home." The words are spoken with a soft sigh as gentle hands guide him back out the door.

His stomach clenches, his heart lodges itself in his throat, and then the world tilts and he's tumbling onto black sand.

"Wha-…" He chokes for a moment, the ghost of aching ribs and a sore throat lingering. "Whose memory was that?"

The sand around him heaves, shifting, and Jay quickly scrambles to his feet to get away. He glances back in time to see it drag the memory down, back into its endless depths, leaving no trace it was ever there.

He stops and stares for a time. Eventually he turns to look at the other reels in the distance, his heart beginning to beat a wild rhythm in his chest.

 _Are there others here…?_

End chapter seventeen.


	19. Chapter 18

The heat pouring off of Kai as he used his power to cut through the gates blocking them from getting into the laboratory was incredible. He'd barely wasted a second before he whipped out his sunglasses and got to work, but the metal was thick, which made cutting a hole big enough for them to get through slow going.

The whole building was in lock down when they'd arrived and the sound of an alarm going off inside could be heard, which had confirmed Zane's fear. Something had happened. Perhaps Viperae had left a trap that they'd unwittingly sent their friends into.

Zane clenches his fists. He needed to get a hold of himself. If he continued to act in this manner he was bound to mess up when it was critical.

 _What has gotten into me?_

He didn't know, and that scared him. Ever since the whole thing with Hiroshi's labyrinth he'd felt different. Like he'd forgotten something, something of vital importance, but no matter how hard he thought about it he couldn't think of anything he'd forgotten.

Going over all of his memories for a third time wouldn't help him bring forth any answers, he knew, but the temptation was still there.

 _To do the same thing and expect a different outcome is the definition of madness._

There's a heavy, metallic _thud_ as Kai finishes cutting open a hole for them. Zane wastes no time blasting the molten edges with ice, causing the metal to groan at the sudden temperature shift, and hurries through the door.

" _ **Intruder alert. All nindroids have been deployed."**_

The alert can now be heard clearly. As it says, some nindroids are already heading their way, guns aimed at them. They're forced to dodge to the side to avoid getting shot.

Zane uses his power to cover the floor in ice, causing the nindroids to slip and fall, some dropping their weapons in the process. Those who didn't drop their weapons get them blasted by fireballs from Kai, causing the metal to heat, forcing them to drop them. Cole uses his power to make makeshift cages for the nindroids.

Like this they quickly make their way forward, until they reach a hallway that has a bunch of nindroids trying to ram a door. Its surface was pitted from where they'd already tried to shoot it open.

 _They must be holed up in there._

Lloyd and Kai quickly shoot a few in the back, catching their attention. Zane throws some shuriken, the sharp blades imbedding in the barrels of the guns thanks to his pinpoint precision. One tries to fire anyway and Zane cringes as the gun explodes, taking out a number of the nindroids with it.

The remaining nindroids were quickly dispatched and contained after that. The ninja head up to the door after that and then pause.

"Do you think they'll know it's us if we knock?" Cole asks.

"Probably not." Kai sighs. He taps the door a few times with his knuckle. "I think this door is thicker than the one leading outside, too; it'd probably take an hour to cut through."

"With this alarm there's no way they'd be able to hear us yelling, either." Lloyd glances up at the ceiling, looking a little annoyed.

Zane jumps in surprise as something grabs his leg. Quickly glancing down he meets the eyes of a partially damaged nindroid. The explosion hadn't fully taken it out.

"st-st-ssssstop…. In-in-intruder…" Guilt wells up in the master of ice at those words. He kneels down, carefully flips the nindroid over, opens up his chest and turns him off.

"I am sorry." He whispers, quiet enough that his brothers wouldn't be able to hear over the din. "I hope Cyrus will be able to fix you, later."

Standing back up, he steps past his brothers and begins to knock on the door.

"Uh, Zane, we _just_ said that wouldn't work." The master of fire rolls his eyes.

"I think he's using morse-code." The black ninja says placatingly to the other.

Once Zane's done he stands back. There's a few moments of silence, Kai's about to say something, and then the door cracks open.

"-crazy nindroid!" Ronin could be heard yelling.

"I am telling you it is my brother!" Echo's determined voice follows.

"You're going to get us killed!"

It sounds like the two were fighting.

"You do not have to worry." Zane calls out, loud enough that he's sure they'll hear him over the alarm. "Echo is right, it is only us."

The door opens fully, revealing Echo and Ronin. Echo smiles happily while Ronin looks grumpy.

"Bro-" Echo is cut off by Zane pulling him forward into a hug.

He can't describe the relief he feels right then, at finding his brother alright, at finding him safe. Echo awkwardly hugs him back, unused to physical affection, no doubt, like Zane used to be (he used to be so off-put by Jay's overly affectionate nature, but now he found he misses it).

He lets go before his brother can be too unnerved by the contact and asks.

"What happened?"

"Brave little toaster here refused to leave without Cyrus, so we were forced to hole up in this room instead of finding a way out." Ronin scoffs.

"I am not a toaster, nor am I little." The bronze nindroid corrects the criminal. "Besides, as I told you before, I cannot leave behind someone who requires my help."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…" He glances over their group. "Nya isn't with you?"

"She isn't with you?" Kai practically demands.

"She left to go try and call an ambulance for Cyrus a little while before the alarm went off." Echo shakes his head, brows furrowed with worry. "I thought that she had gotten out and went to go get you."

"We were worried when you guys didn't call." Cole says. "That's why we came… We don't have any idea where she is."

Just then the alarm shuts off and one by one the metal shutters raise.

"Huh? Why'd it just turn off?" Lloyd blinks, looking up at the ceiling.

"That's gotta be Nya's doing." Kai says, a proud smile on his face. "I'm going to go look for her."

"I'll help." Lloyd decides. "The sooner we can get out of here, the better."

"Yeah, I'll just meet you guys back on the ship." Ronin decides, quickly stepping over the fallen nindroids. Zane notices Echo's shocked expression when he sees the damaged nindroids, and the guilt he felt rears its ugly head again.

"You mentioned Cyrus needed an ambulance, right?" He quickly changes the subject. "How badly is he hurt?"

"Oh! Uh, he doesn't appear to be hurt at all… but he isn't responsive." Echo quickly leads the master of ice and the master of earth back to where the inventor is. "I have been monitoring his vitals and they appear to be stable."

Cyrus appears to be sleeping in his wheel chair.

"And there's no apparent cause?" He asks.

"There is not."

"No runes or anything on his body?"

"I… did not think to look."

"Cole, do you think you could carry him outside?" Zane turns to the ninja in question.

"Sure." Cole steps forward and carefully hoists the man into his arms like it was nothing. In the process something is dislodged from his jacket pocket, falling to the floor with a clatter.

Zane's brows draw together, something in the back of his mind trying to force its way to the front. He carefully picks up the object, which appears to be some sort of stone, glowing a soft grey, with a thin thread going out and attaching itself to… to Cyrus.

A horrible pain unlike any other seizes his chest, causing him to gasp, pressing a hand to his chest.

"Brother?"

"Zane?"

The pain fades. Zane swallows hard, feeling shaken. Carefully he reaches out and sets the stone on Cyrus' chest.

"Keep that with him…" He mumbles.

"Zane, are you alright?" Cole looks worried. He carefully shifts Cyrus in his arms, and Zane watches the softly glowing stone with worry, not wanting it to fall. "You look like you're going to be sick."

"I…" He isn't sure how to answer that. Forcing himself to drop his hand from his chest, he takes a deep breath and says. "We need to get Cyrus to a hospital."

Cole nods, but he has a look that promises they'll be talking about this later.

They all reconvene outside and escort Cyrus to the hospital. Zane stresses the importance of keeping that stone nearby Cyrus at all times and to keep the thread from being cut at all costs, much to everyone's confusion, and they go back to the Bounty.

* * *

The next reel starts out like being hit by a car. One second he reaching out and the next he's being thrown aside, pain and loud noise assaults him, and then he's being thrown back out.

Jay sluggishly sits up, feeling dazed by the memory. What had just happened? He stares at the reel for a moment, but it stays as it is.

 _There has to be more than that._

He climbs to his feet and heads towards it once more. He reaches out, there's a roaring in his ears, but he pushes onwards anyway. Something gives and he stumbles forward, landing on his knees, arms resting on the coffee table as he scribbles a picture.

"Jay…?" Al calls hesitantly. He looks up from his latest invention, an auto-closet checker, so that he wouldn't have to keep asking Da to look for monsters, and gives his Uncle his undivided attention. "Come 'ere, buddy."

He pats the seat next to him on the couch. Jay stands up and climbs up next to him. This sounds serious, but Jay knows he hasn't done anything wrong yet, so he does his best to put on a listening face like Ma always does.

"Ah… where to start?" Al rubs the back of his neck. "You remember my friend, the one who came over the last time I babysat you?"

"Dan?"

"Yeah, Dan." He stops once more, glancing off to the side, before taking a deep breath. "He and I, well, we like each other the way your Da and Ma like each other."

He looks at Jay expectantly. Like Da when he's just explained one of his inventions, except he seems nervous.

"Okay."

"…right. Well, uh, we're going to be getting married." He says slowly. "I was hoping you'd be the ring bearer. You, uh, do you have any questions?"

Jay glances down at the couch, then up at the ceiling, before looking back at his nervous uncle.

"Is there gonna be cake?"

His uncle is silent for a moment, before he starts snickering.

"Y-yes, buddy, there's going to be cake." He clears his throat, looking much calmer than before. "Any other questions?"

"What kind of cake?"

"We haven't decided yet, buddy." He ruffles Jay's hair and then asks. "Any suggestions?"

"I like chocolate cake."

"Chocolate is a pretty good flavor." Al nods. "Oh, if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask me, alright?"

"Alwight." They sit in silence for a moment, and then Jay tugs on Al's shirt to get his attention.

"What is it, buddy?"

"Wanna play hide and seek?"

"Sure."

"I'm gonna win this time." Jay declares, quickly sliding off the couch.

"We'll see if you can beat the seeker king!" His uncle laughs manically before covering his eyes and starting to count.

"No cheating!" Jay yells back before running off.

Where could he hide? He'd already hidden under the sink, behind the couch, under the bed, under his parents' bed, and even out in the scrapyard. Uncle Al had lectured him about not hiding in the scrapyard, once he'd found him, so even though that was the best place yet he figured his uncle would tell Da, like he said he would if Jay did it again, and then Ma would find out, and then he'd be grounded… so it had to be in the house.

 _The attic is in the house._

But he wasn't supposed to go up there… He'd promised.

 _Like Da promised we'd go to the zoo last week?_

He wouldn't stay up there, he'd just wait until a decent amount of time had passed, then he'd sneak back down and hide someplace else. It'd be fine so long as he didn't touch anything, right?

Mind made up, Jay carefully climbs the stairs leading up to the attic, being careful not to make any noise.

There's a lot of boxes up here, mostly pushed against the walls, but what catches his eye the most is the thing covered by a large white cloth. His Da would sometimes build things up here, always telling Jay not to go up there, but eventually he'd finish and he'd bring Jay up to show him what he'd made.

 _It'd be fine if I just peeked, right?_

Game forgotten, Jay steps up to the thing and carefully lifts the cloth.

Small as he is, he can barely lift it enough to see anything under it, and he tries to toss it up instead. It doesn't work. He decides, in the end, just to pull the cloth off.

 _I'll put it back when I'm done._

He doesn't think about _how_ he'd manage that. He was more focused on finding out what's under that cloth. It flutters as it comes down, kicking up dust, and Jay has to stifle a sneeze.

It isn't much clearer what it is once it's uncovered. There is, however, a control panel, which Jay can barely see from his height. Thinking quickly, he pushes one of the nearby boxes over to it and climbs atop. Now he's got a better view of the control panel.

It was a bunch of buttons and a few levers, along with one tiny screen. Jay pushes the green button with the power symbol on it and watches as the screen light up. Some numbers appear on the screen, seemingly random, then the thing starts making noise as its engine starts up.

Jay, startled, hits the power button again, but it doesn't turn off.

"Jay? Buddy?" He can hear his uncle calling, there's the heavy thumping of his feet on the stairs as he gets closer.

Quickly, he gets down from the box and grabs the cloth. It was bad enough that his uncle was going to find him up here, but if he found out he'd touched one of Da's inventions without his permission he'd be grounded during his birthday and then he wouldn't get any cake _or_ presents!

He can't throw the cloth high enough, even when he's on top of the box, so he climbs onto the console, hitting a few buttons in the process. The white cloth barely catches the top of the machine when the door opens.

"Jay!" He hears his uncle yell, and he cringes, knowing that he was going to get it. His uncle rushes over and grabs him, pulling him away from the machine. The cloth snags one of the levers, there's a high pitched whine, and then the cloth is sucked out of his hands.

Before either of them can react, it explodes.

Jay's thrown back, pain and noise assaulting his senses, and even though he can see the dark sky above him, even though he knows he's back in the endless black sand, it feels like he can't move.

End chapter eighteen


	20. Chapter 19

_Hunting was a simple process. You lie in wait where you know the animal you're after usually goes, like a watering hole or a bush full of berries, you hit it with an arrow, and then you just have to track it until it collapses._

 _In essence, so long as you could go farther than your target, you could hunt it._

 _He wasn't sure such a thing could be applicable to hunting down people, but…_

" _You're persistent."_

 _When trying to catch a thief who is faster than you, you just need to be able to track him down relentlessly._

" _I'd like to talk to you."_

 _Like a flash of lightning, suddenly the thief is in front of him, dagger flashing as it heads for his throat. Pain erupts in his neck, but he's dealt with enough wounds to know it's shallow. This close, though, he can see what's under the thief's hood, and he's shocked into silence._

 _A young boy, probably in his teens, starting at him with a poisonous glare and mismatched eyes._

" _If you keep following me, I_ _ **will**_ _kill you." It's a promise that he knows the thief will keep._

 _The thief moves to step back, he steps forward, intending to stop him, but then his feet are swept out from under him and-_

His back hits the ground hard.

Zane groans, sitting up slowly, and looks up at his bunk in confusion. He wasn't a very active sleeper, so he'd never rolled out of bed like this before.

"Dude." Kai snorts, breaking down into laughter.

Zane stands up, giving the master of fire a cold look. He didn't appreciate the other laughing at him.

"Are you alright?" Echo asks, sitting up in his own bunk.

"I'm fine." He assures the other.

"Zane?" Cole calls, giving him a stern look. It had been a while since Cole had put on that expression, it was much more common when he was acting as their leader. "Could you help me with something?"

There was no putting it off any longer. He'd managed to get out of it by going to prepare dinner, Echo tagging along only serving to deter the master of earth even more. Now, though, he'd have to face the music.

"Of course." He says, and follows the other out of the room, leaving behind Kai's unflattering laughter and Echo's questions about the humor in someone getting hurt.

Cole chooses the kitchen as the site of their conversation, immediately going to get some coffee started before they even begin. Once the pot is on he turns to Zane, his serious look giving way to one of worry.

"Zane, you've been acting strange for a while now." He leans against the counter, bracing himself on it.

"In what way?" Cole actually looks hurt at Zane's denial, which makes the master of ice feel guilty.

"Zane… Have you been using contractions intentionally?"

"Have…" His brows furrow as he thinks it over. "Have I?"

"You did it back there. You told Echo 'I'm fine.'" He studies Zane's face for a moment. "Zane, if something's wrong, we're here, you know? Even if you don't want to tell me, isn't there someone here you'd be alright talking to?"

"It is not that…" He hesitates, then he sighs. "I am not sure what is wrong, myself."

He moves to lean on the counter next to Cole. As if sensing there's more to it, he waits patiently for Zane to go on.

"When I saw that stone, there was this pain in my chest like nothing I've ever felt before. And it felt like I should remember something, but I could not figure out what it could be." He presses a hand to his chest at the memory. "And I have been feeling odd ever since we went to Hiroshi's labyrinth."

Cole hums, a thoughtful sound, and runs his hand through his hair.

"Zane… Do you remember way back when we were fighting the overlord? The second time, I mean, and you were determined to help Pixal no matter what?"

"Yes. You think something from back then could be connected to this?" He hadn't thought about it himself, thinking of it as something more of a recent development.

"Well, I mean, you remember why Nya was the one to cut your power source in half, right?" Cole looks at Zane out of the corner of his eye. "Jay was worried about what could happen."

"I… remember." He remembered yelling at Jay ' _you_ didn't fix me!' and the hurt look the master of lightning had quickly covered up. "But hasn't it been long enough that any problems that could spring up already should have?"

"Yeah… but you needed both halves to function, right? You could barely fight without Pixal." He frowns at the wall across from them. "But half of your power source was lost when you… a-and now you've still only got the one half, the half that used to be in Pixal, and it's working overtime to keep you running the way you were before."

Zane is quiet. Thinking over the other's words. He hadn't thought much about his power source since then, or how he'd managed to function with less power. He'd mainly put it up to having more efficient systems now, but if he was working with even a small detriment, then that would naturally build up over time.

"If that is the case…" The coffee machine dings once, and coffee begins to pour out. "Then I am not sure there is much we can do."

His power source was unique. They couldn't just go find more of it to replace what he'd lost.

The softly glowing stone they'd found with Cyrus comes to mind, but he quickly pushes the thought away.

"It wouldn't explain the sudden changes in the way you speak, either." Cole moves to get a cup ready, already dumping some sugar into the bottom.

"I had a dream." He says suddenly. "I was a hunter… but this time I was after a thief."

"Cool?" Cole gives him a confused look. "Is that connected to this in any way?"

"…probably not." If he were able to blush, he probably would right now, as embarrassment takes hold. He wasn't sure why he'd even brought it up. "A-anyway, without any information to go on, there isn't much to do about it."

"There it is again."

"What?"

"You used some contractions." Cole glances at him before pouring some coffee into his mug, making sure to leave enough room for the milk. "Do you think there's some sort of trigger for it?"

"I… would not know. I am not aware of it when I use them, so I would not be able to find whatever pattern may or may not exist."

"Ok… how about we go back to when you started to feel strange? When, exactly, was that?"

Zane thinks back, trying to pinpoint a specific moment.

"Before we left… when Jay chose Echo over me."

Cole pauses mid stir, raising an eyebrow at the other.

"I see." He goes back to stirring his drink. "So, is it a constant feeling, or does it come and go?"

"I am not sure." There were times when he felt like his usual self, but… "It's been a near constant since Jay… Since Viperae showed himself."

Cole hums, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Maybe they aren't connected…" He says slowly.

"What gives you that idea?"

"Have you thought that you're just missing Jay?" He gives Zane a look that he can't decipher. "Whatever's going on with the pain and the speech could be entirely unrelated to you feeling different; because that 'different' is just you missing Jay. I mean, unlike the rest of us, you didn't really have to deal with one of the others being gone for an extended length of time…"

"I do not think that is it." He gives the master of earth a flat look. "I have missed my father enough that, were that the case here, I would know."

The master of earth looks a little guilty and takes a big gulp of his drink.

"Yeah, sorry… I should of thought about that."

"It is alright."

"Well, I do have another idea of what it could be…" He looks at Zane with mild trepidation. "Do you… are you still with Pixal?"

"Yes. She is still a part of my systems."

"No, I mean, are you still dating?"

"We are not." He admits a little hesitantly. After he'd been so enthusiastic about their 'compatibility', he'd later realized it was merely due to her being the only other cyborg he'd met. They were still friends, of course, but nothing more.

"…Do you think that maybe you like Jay?"

"Of course I like him." Cole looks shocked, for some reason. "Jay is my friend. Why would I not like him?"

Then again, considering his distaste for Kai at times, maybe that was not as obvious as he first thought.

Understanding and exasperation quickly play out on the master of earth's face, before he's sighing into his hand.

"No… I didn't mean like _that_." Cole shakes his head. "Nevermind. I'm probably just imagining things."

Zane was tempted to press further, to know what the other meant to say, but his chest throbs painfully, startling him. It doesn't lessen this time, it spikes, and the next thing he knows the world is spinning and Cole sounds like he's calling his name underwater.

" _What are you writing?"_

" _I am just noting down a vision I had."_

" _You've got the witch's gaze?" The other chuckles. "I thought I was the one who's supposed to be cursed with that."_

" _You don't have visions, do you?"_

" _Naw… so what is it?"_

" _What's what?"_

" _Your vision!" He huffs. "What was it about?"_

" _You can read it, if you like."_

"… _I can't read."_

" _O-oh." He'd forgotten, the other had lived his life on the streets, so he probably hadn't been taught even the basic things like reading. "I could teach you?"_

 _Again, his rare impulsive side shows its face._

" _I-I'm just a thief." The other tugs down his hood, and, spinning on heel, he makes a quick retreat._

It's a hard slap to the face that shocks him from that waking dream. He blinks in shock up at Cole who's shivering violently. His breath is visible, and a quick glance around the room assures Zane that he's covered it in a fine layer of frost.

"What…?"

"I don't know." Cole sounds mildly panicked. "You just collapsed and then the temperature started dropping!"

"I saw something." Zane carefully stands, noticing the broken mug and frozen coffee on the ground. "It was the hunter again… and the thief."

"What-? Are you talking about that dream you had?"

"Yes."

Cole shakes his head, looking at Zane like he's crazy.

"You just _collapsed_ , and all you care about is some dream you had?"

"It's important, Cole." Zane stresses. "I don't know how, yet, but it's important."

Cole studies his face for a moment, then sighs.

"Fine. I guess it is. You've slipped back into using contractions, by the way."

"I have?"

"You really aren't aware of it?"

"No, I am not."

"It's a little late for this right now…" Cole rubs a hand over his face. "Why don't we try to figure this out in the morning?"

"We should probably clean this up first."

"If you can figure out how to clean up frozen coffee, be my guest."

They end up picking up the broken mug pieces and just throwing a towel over the frozen coffee in the hopes that it would soak it up as it melted and then going to bed.

* * *

Lloyd wakes up in the middle of the night to find a figure standing over him. Before he can shout out his mouth is covered and Jay-, no, Viperae is leaning over him.

"I have a proposition for you." He whispers. "But we can't talk about it here."

He slowly lets go and smiles when Lloyd doesn't immediately shout to wake the others. He knows he should, but he's curious about the offer. What could this person think he had to trade that Lloyd would even want? He was the green ninja, he had great friends, and things like wealth and love didn't interest him much.

They head up onto the deck. Lloyd shivers in the cold night air and waits as the other turns to face him. In the moonlight he looks even more demonic. His smile shining bright, his eyes dark, the shadows laying oddly on his clothes.

"I'm so glad you chose to listen to me." As demented as he is, he sounds sincerely happy about it. Lloyd has to bite his tongue to hold in the scathing reply that comes to mind. "You must be curious… well, curiosity always did kill the cat. In this case, it'd be more like, chained the dragon pup, wouldn't it?"

"Get to the point." He bites out. It's unnerving to see a familiar face acting so strangely.

 _Was it like this for the others when I was possessed?_

"So demanding~!" He laughs. "Just like your father…"

"You don't know anything about my father!"

"Temper, temper." He says in a mock scolding tone. "I know Jun very well, actually. He and I were rather close at one point~!"

"Jun…?" Lloyd does his best to put his anger aside.

"You didn't know your own father's name?" He gives the master of energy a sad look. "I suppose he didn't like it very much, so I shouldn't be surprised, always telling everyone to call him by his surname…"

Lloyd hadn't really thought about it, but even his own brother, Wu, called his dad Garmadon. In a way that just seemed like his dad's only name. Jun had such a strange sound to it, now, it was hard to connect it to his father.

"You knew my father… when?" Although he had an idea. His father had many connections when he was cursed, if this villain was one of them, Lloyd wasn't sure whether he'd be surprised or not.

"You already seem to have an idea." The other looks at him, a knowing smile. "Aren't there better questions to ask than the ones you know the answer to~?"

Lloyd grits his teeth.

"I know my father wouldn't have agreed to join you, even when he was evil, so just _how_ did you know him?" His question invokes laughter in the other like he'd just told the funniest joke ever.

"What a cute little dragon pup you are, to assume you understand a man you barely knew." He wipes away a tear from his eye. "But I can help fix that."

Lloyd does his best to tamp down his rising anger. Kai was a bad influence on him, he knew, and Zane would certainly disapprove of him wasting this opportunity by lashing out without thought.

"What do you mean?"

"I _mean_ ~…" He drags it out teasingly. "I know how to save your father from the dying realm."

"What? How?!" The thought of being able to see his dad once again… the temptation was more than he could bear. Viperae, seeing right through him, laughs delightedly.

"I'll tell you… but in return, what will you do?" He hums thoughtfully. "I know you well enough to know you wouldn't join me, even to get the dragon lord back."

"You're right about that." Although it's temping, it would mean going against every other member of his family, and he knows his father wouldn't approve.

 _No matter the deal, he's not going to be happy I made it, but so long as I can get him back I don't care about the sacrifice._

"Oh! I know~!" He laughs evilly, and Lloyd is certain he already knew what he wanted from the start, he'd just wanted to play with Lloyd a bit before he'd made the deal. "How about your powers?"

"You want my powers? I can't-"

"No, no!" He waves his hand dismissively. "I don't want what little power you have now. I just want to make sure you can't use it. So, your powers for your father. Do we have a deal?"

"First tell me how you intend to get my father out of a realm that was destroyed."

"Destroyed?" He laughs. "Realms, contrary to what you may think, are not so fragile. It can take millennia for a realm to _truly_ die… and so long as a thread of it still exists, I am certain a man as resourceful as he wouldn't just die as soon as the realm started to go."

"You sound like you respect my dad…" He's actually a little shocked by that.

"Respect?" Viperae thinks it over. "I suppose I respected his ruthlessness and his cunning. While he has lost one, he still maintains the other… that and he helped me reclaim something I'd lost."

"What'd you lose?"

"Myself~!" Despite his tone, he seems serious about the answer. Lloyd isn't sure what to make of it, so he lets it go. "Anyway, I know a way to get him out of that realm… now, do we have a deal?"

Viperae holds out his hand, Lloyd clenches his own a few times, silently sends his teammates an apology, and then grips the other's hand.

"Deal."

They shake, and then his palm is burning. He screams, tries to dislodge the other's hand, but no matter how hard he pulls the other doesn't let go. It's only once the pain stops that he does and Lloyd can look at his palm.

There, burned into his skin, is a rune.

"This will ensure that neither of us will go back on our promise, for if we do we will die." He shows Lloyd his own palm, which bears the same mark.

"You mean Jay will die." He spits at the other, suddenly angry with himself for agreeing. He was an idiot.

"Yes, I suppose he will." The other hums. "Anyway, as for my half of the bargain…" He pulls something out and tosses it over to Lloyd. "This will tell you everything you need to know about getting your father back."

"Wait, you're not going to get him out yourself?!"

"I said I could _help_ not that I'd do all the work." He tsks at Lloyd. "Really, you could learn a thing or two from Jun… at least he understood that a deal could be turned against you."

The door leading below deck slams open, Lloyd glances back on instinct, and meets Kai's worried gaze.

"What's wrong?" The master of fire hurries over. "I heard you scream."

Lloyd already knows Viperae won't be there when he looks. Still, his stomach sinks when he finds only the empty deck before him.

"…He was here."

"What? Who- wait, don't tell me, it was that Viperae guy?!" Kai starts to look around the deck, as if he'd be there.

"Kai…" Lloyd's voice cracks, immediately catching Kai's attention.

"What's wrong?"

"I… I messed up." He stares down at his palm, at the rune burned into it, and finds himself beginning to sob. How was he supposed to be the savior of the world when he was so pathetic?

Kai pulls him into a hug, tells him everything was going to be fine, because they were going to get Jay back and kick 'that bastard's' but to Timbuktu. Lloyd laughs a little, then cries a lot more, and the sun rises on a new day, casting a slow burning fire across the sky.

 _You don't deserve to be the green ninja… all you ever do is mess up, get captured, and then swoop in at the last minute to claim all the glory._

* * *

Jay isn't sure how long he's stayed there, staring up at the sky. The ringing in his ears has long since faded, the pain only a memory, but he still doesn't move. He can't bring himself too. The darkness is creeping up again, and he can't bring himself to fight it.

 _It's all my fault…_

Something, glittering, fluttering, tiny and bright, floats above him. He watches it dance, apathetic.

 _It's all my fault…_

The thing sinks lower, getting closer until it lands delicately on his nose. It glows, a soft, incandescent cyan blue.

 _It will be alright._

The thought feels foreign, like it isn't his own, but it's calming, so he doesn't think too hard about it. He sits up slowly, the little light fluttering away, dancing in the air for a moment, before swooping back in close to his chest.

Jay lifts a hand, hesitates, than carefully cups it under the light. It settles down into his palm for a moment, he feels a slight chill where it touches him, and then it's dancing through the air again, heading for the next reel.

 _Oh, is it trying to lead me to it?_

He gets up and follows it. It dances just nearby, maybe it can't go into the memories like Jay can, but he hesitates.

 _If I go in, will it leave?_

Jay didn't want this little light to leave. He was alone here, and this little light was the only thing here with him. There was another person, once, he thinks, but they're gone, if they ever were here.

The light comes closer, goes up and settles in his hair for a moment, then dances up into the air and around the reel.

It wanted him to look at the memory.

"Don't leave." He tells it. Hopes it understands speech, and then reaches out to the reel.

His stomach sinks. There it is, his failure, written out for him in bright red ink.

 _B-_

His classmates had all told him it was a good grade, that they'd proudly bring that grade home to their parents, but he was different. He was _supposed_ to be _smart_. This was a failure.

His throat tightens as frustration makes itself apparent. What would his father say? Would he be getting a slap on the wrist? Would he be forced to skip dinner so that he'd have more time to study?

 _All things come second to the pursuit of knowledge._

Those words taunt him. Over and over they play in his head. His father's voice ringing out clearly.

He isn't watching where he's going, he trips, the world around him shifts, a little light flutters through the air to land on his outstretched hand.

Jay smiles softly. It's touch is cold, reminding him of something… someone? He isn't sure which.

 _We have to keep going._

It lifts off and heads towards the next reel and Jay feels lighter as he follows. The sand isn't slowing him down anymore and he might be imagining the way it seems to take its anger out on the reel behind him, tearing it to bits while violently pulling it back into its depths.

 _I wonder why it seems so intent on getting rid of those._

End chapter nineteen

* * *

AN: It's been awhile since I wrote one of these, so I figured I should take this time to once again thank every body who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story so far! Seeing how much you're all enjoying this story makes me smile. ^u^

Kit Brightside


	21. Chapter 20

" _ **This**_ _is the person you've spent all this time looking for?" The blacksmith scoffs. "He's a_ _ **thief**_ _. He'd sooner take all our stuff and leave us for dead than help us to protect these lands! Heck, his kind are part of the problem!"_

" _Yeah, I don't think this is a very good idea, either." The guard looks uneasy, eyeing the unconscious thief. Really, did he think the boy would just get up right after nearly dying from poison?_

" _I understand your hesitation, but I am certain that he was the one from my vision."_

" _What makes you so sure?" The blacksmith presses. "You said you saw four warriors, one for each season. We've got three already, so unless his power just so happens to match up, I say we leave 'em."_

" _ **Have**_ _you seen his power?" The guard asks. "Rumors are one thing, but if you haven't seen it yourself, then you can't be sure."_

 _He holds back a sigh of frustration at his companions. He understood where they were coming from. Who knows how much money the blacksmith lost to thievery, and the guard must have dealt with several thieves, not to mention his higher standing in society giving him a nice pedestal to look down from._

 _Still. He knew that this was the final season they were looking for. They had winter, summer, and fall already. The final piece was spring, and he couldn't think of something that embodied spring more than the thunderstorms that rolled in that time of year._

" _Please, trust me, this is the one we're looking for."_

" _You must have a death wish."_

A loud bang startles Zane awake. He quickly rolls out of bed and onto his feet, ready to face whatever the threat may be, only to find Kai fuming in the doorway. Straightening up, he gives the master of fire an unamused look. They'd all agreed not to slam the door if at all possible, because it caused their training to kick in, putting them all on high alert.

"Is something wrong?" Echo asks, carefully getting down from his bunk.

"Yes, something's wrong." Kai snaps at the bronze nindroid, who looks hurt and confused at the sudden anger. Kai, either uncaring or not noticing the reaction, turns to the others. "Viperae was here."

"What?" That certainly catches their attention.

Lloyd steps forward, looking guilty, clenching something in his hand, and shamefully admits.

"I… made a deal with him."

"You what?" Cole sputters, surprised. "So, are you working for him now?"

"No! No… he just… wanted to keep me from using my powers." The master of energy looks down at his palm and Zane catches the flash of a burn. "But, in return, he gave me something that's supposed to help me get my dad back."

"Wait, just… start from the beginning." Cole runs a hand through his hair, pulling a few tangles free in the process. "Tell us exactly what happened."

* * *

"Our boy is not stupid!" Jay can hear Da yelling.

"Sir, I know no parents want to hear this, but I truly believe that Jay has a learning disability." The teacher's voice is stern. "He struggles when trying to read anything, and he keeps mixing in theses strange symbols whenever he has to write."

"Jay's always been a strong reader, though." Ma sounds confused. "And he's never written anything like these symbols before."

"He was hospitalized shortly before the schoolyear started due to head trauma, among other things, according to his file. Sometimes injuries to the head can result in disabilities such as this."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Da huffs. "Come on, Edna, we're going."

"Sir, you're only doing your son a disservice by not getting him the help he needs!"

Jay carefully slips off of the chair as his parents approach. They both look angry and upset. Jay fidgets.

"Come on, dear." Ma grabs his hand and leads him to the door. "We're going home."

Jay stumbles back onto the black sand and takes a moment to breathe. He reaches up and runs his fingers along the scar that cut through his eyebrow. It had stopped aching long ago, the scar itself fading enough that most people wouldn't notice it if not for its location. The light lands on top of his head, its chill a small comfort as the darkness stirs around him. He needed to keep going. His thoughts were getting clearer with each memory, but the darkness seemed more agitated with every one he found belonging to that other person.

 _Will it try and attack me if I find too many?_

Even if Jay wanted to avoid them, they all looked the same from the outside. He'd have no way of knowing until he was already living it out. Not that he would avoid them, even if he could.

 _I've stood around for long enough._

The little light seems content to stay where it is atop his head while he walks. Jay doesn't mind, even if he ends up shivering a little. It'll have to move once he's at the next reel, anyway.

* * *

"And that's it." Lloyd finishes, looking down at his hands, one with a burnt palm, the other holding the item he'd been given. Shame and guilt are written all over his face and in his posture.

Cole feels bad for him as much as he wants to berate him. He bites his tongue, though, because he knows the other feels bad enough as it is. And what's done is done.

"Can I see the mark?" Zane asks, holding out his hand to the master of energy.

Lloyd nods and places his hand in the other's palm up. The master of ice examines the mark for a bit, pokes it a little, as if testing it, and then says.

"I believe this rune means 'pact.'"

"Yeah, that must have been hard to figure out." Kai bites out sarcastically.

"That is only the meaning of the main rune." Zane glares at the red ninja coldly. "Its form is made up of several smaller runes."

"Wait, really?" Lloyd holds his hand up to his face, eyes very nearly going cross as he looks at the burn. "…geez, those are tiny. No wonder it hurt so much."

"Yes. It is going to take some time to go over every rune involved in this, so I believe it would be prudent to get started right away."

"Uh, actually…" Lloyd hesitates, looking down at the item he had. "I was hoping we could get my dad first. I mean, I know he said that the cursed realm probably wouldn't disappear anytime soon, but…"

"We don't even know if he was telling the truth about what he gave you." Cole points out.

"I… It's got to be." Lloyd doesn't sound sure. In fact, he seems like he's grasping at straws, here. Kai steps up and puts a hand on his shoulder, silently offering the other support. "As long as I don't use my powers, I'll be fine, so can't we focus on saving my dad first?"

There's a moment of silence, everyone follows Lloyd's lead and looks to Cole.

"I could help." Echo pipes up, a determined glint to his eye. "I might not be as good as brother when it comes to deciphering the runes, but I can at least get started on it while you all go help rescue Garmadon."

Lloyd looks hopeful at that, Kai is smirking triumphantly, while Zane smiles softly at his brother, and Cole ends up sighing heavily.

"I guess it's already decided, then."

"What's decided?" Nya asks from the doorway. "What we're going to have for breakfast?"

The master of water steps into the room, followed by Ronin, and looks over each of the ninja one by one. She raises an eyebrow at them, no doubt because they were all still in their pajamas, while she and Ronin were fully dressed.

Cole very nearly cursed when he realized that they'd all forgotten to go get Nya. They have to explain everything all over again…

"Echo?" The bronze nindroid was always eager to help, he probably wouldn't mind the repetition. "Care to explain it?"

"Not at all!"

* * *

Jay hadn't been expecting the vertigo that hit him in the next reel. It wasn't a part of the memory, he knew, and because of that he finds himself back in the endless black sand. The sand rumbles, reaching up to the memory, trying to pull it under.

"Wait!" He shouts, unhelpful as he knows that is, and rushes back towards the memory.

If the sand buried it once more, before he even got a look at it, he wasn't sure what would happen.

The sky cracks open, lightning pouring out in a steady flow, hitting around the memory, driving the black sand off long enough for him to reach the reel and-

It's the worst pain he's ever felt. A Pair of dark eyes boring into him while his hand digs into his chest, pulling at what he finds there.

"Even if you kill me…" He grits out. "I'll just come back. I always do…"

"I'm going to shatter your soul into a thousand pieces." The other starts to pull harder, the world blurs. "That way you won't ever be able to hurt anyone again."

The world comes back into focus for a moment, just a moment, he sees something glowing in the other's hand, a sickly purple-black, with a small thread leading to his chest. With a flash of a blade, the thread is cut, and the world plunges into blackness.

Jay heaves once he's back in the place of endless sand. What comes up can only be called black sludge. It leaves a disturbingly sweet taste in his mouth, and he quickly climbs to his feet, stumbling, feeling numb.

The lingering ghost of pain in his chest, the vertigo of feeling like he was standing in two places in that memory, and the nagging worry about what he'd just thrown up all weigh on him.

Unlike the others, this reel breaks off and floats up into the sky, disappearing into the clouds above.

Jay stares up at the clouds, then looks back down to the sand that he was sure would have claimed the memory for its own. It's all crystalized. Formed into spikes, sparkling, and unable to act.

 _Did… I do that?_

The little light gently bumps into his chest, flutters onward, and Jay forces his feet to keep moving.

 _I'm lightning._

Behind him he can hear crackling. A glance back shows him the sand breaking down the crystalized formation, freeing it from its prison.

 _I'm lightning, and even if it's only for a moment, I can drive away the darkness._

His heart pounds in his chest, electricity alights in his veins, and then he's running towards the next reel.

* * *

Sensei Wu shook his head in disappointment at his nephew. To make a deal like that so carelessly… He was certainly far from being ready to be a Sensei himself.

At the moment Zane was examining the cube that Viperae had given him, turning it over in hand to examine it from all angles.

"I think there is something inside." He finally declares.

"So how do we get it open?" Cole asks.

"I could melt it?" Kai suggests.

"That would probably destroy whatever is inside it." Zane shakes his head. "And we do not know whether or not Viperae hid any instructions on the inside of the metal."

"Can I?" Cole holds out his hand. Zane hands the cube over. He examines it, just as the master of ice had, and ends up huffing with bemusement. "It doesn't even look like it was welded. Just how'd he get anything in there?"

"Maybe it is a puzzle?" Echo glances up from the picture they'd taken of the rune burned into Lloyd's hand. "Like a rubic cube."

"I'm surprised you even know what that is." Ronin says, raising an eyebrow at the bronze nindroid.

"Father used to have me solve them." Echo turns back to the picture. "He said it helped him to gauge my progress."

Cole tries to twist it a bit, then shakes his head.

"I don't think that's it… also, that's some strong metal."

"It is a shame that no one here can simply phase through it." Sensei Wu finally speaks up, once he'd had enough of his students' blundering. Had he taught them nothing? Or had Jay's absence truly affected them so badly?

"R-right…" Cole blushes bright green. Carefully phasing his hand through he pulls whatever's inside out.

Lloyd presses in close, trying to see what it is. Cole lets it lay on his open palm, and the two of them stare at it in confusion.

"Are you going to share what it is with the rest of us?" Nya asks impatiently.

"It looks like a little doll." Lloyd takes it from the ghost, holding it up by an arm, and Sensei Wu feels a chill go down his spine.

"That is no ordinary doll." He cautions his nephew. "That is a voodoo doll."

"A voodoo doll?" Kai's brows furrow. "You mean those things in TV shows that can force a person to do whatever you want?"

"It can be used that way, with the right preparation, but that was not its main purpose." His grip on his cup tightens subtly. He had thought this knowledge had been lost long ago, but it seemed this villain had knowledge of old magic. "Its main purpose was to take the place of someone in a spell…"

"How…" Lloyd's brows furrow, than his eyes light up with understanding. "Wait, we could use this with that spell, right? The one meant to trap people in the cursed realm."

He mentally cursed Viperae. His nephew had already encountered too much dark magic as it was, and here he was trying to manipulate him into using even more.

"Yes, it could." He admits begrudgingly.

"What are we waiting for?" Lloyd says eagerly. "I still remember the spell, so let's get started!"

"Lloyd." Wu says sternly. "We do not know to what extent the definition of 'power' goes. There could be a chance that you using the spell would infringe upon that."

The green ninja deflates a bit at that.

"Oh…" He looks down at the doll in his hands.

"I'll do it." Kai, impulsive as ever, declares. Lloyd gives him a grateful look.

"Uncle?" The master of energy turns to him. "You know what we need to do, right?"

Just who was Viperae, to know that all he had to do was give his nephew a voodoo doll to achieve this outcome?

"I do." Would it be better to mislead them? No, the spell failing would probably be much worse than playing into Viperae's hand at the moment. "We will need another voodoo doll, first."

The temperature drops sharply.

"Not again…" Cole mutters, turning to Zane.

The white ninja was staring off into space, looking dazed. The master of earth approaches him, reaches out to his shoulder, but before he can say anything, Zane reacts. He grabs the cloth at the other's neck and pushes him back.

"You think leaving him behind was the best option?!" He yells, the uncharacteristic anger shocking all of them. "He's a part of this team as much as any of us!"

"W-what are you talking about?" Cole stutters.

"I'm the leader here, not you, get that through your thick skull!" He shakes Cole. "I don't care what position you held in the guard!"

"Zane, man, you need to wake up." Cole pulls the other's hands off of him. The temperature is still dropping, their breaths quickly becoming visible as frost creeps along the floor. Cole has to let go of the other, hissing at what Wu can only assume to be the sharp bite of the cold the titanium nindroid is putting out. "Whatever you're seeing isn't real!"

"We're supposed to have each other's backs! That's what being a team means!" Zane steps forward, ice now creeping out from under his feet. "I would've thought you of all people would know that."

His eyes are glowing cyan with his element, the temperature shifts, suddenly Kai's there, alight with fire, pulling the nindroid back.

"Have you lost your mind?!" He yells.

Zane hesitates, blinks, than looks confused.

"What… happened?"

"You just went psycho on Cole, that's what!" The heat pouring off of Kai helps to raise the temperature of the room. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

The master of ice looks past the master of fire, looking towards the ghost as if to ask if that were true. Cole, however, was quickly backing up from the puddle forming on the floor from the melting ice.

"I… I didn't…" Spinning on heel, the titanium nindroid runs, leaving a shocked silence in his wake.

End chapter twenty


	22. Chapter 21

"Is this a typical week for you guys?" Ronin breaks the silence callously, earning him more than a few glares.

"I'm going after him." Cole says, ignoring the criminal. He ghosts through the nearest wall instead of bothering with going around the puddles.

"Should we go too…?" Lloyd questions, looking torn. He cared about Zane, yes, but he also cared about his dad. Zane would probably be alright, though, while his father….

"Not to seem callous." Nya says while carefully manipulating the water into the kitchen sink. "But I think we should focus on figuring everything out. Zane will come back when he's ready."

"It's not like you even know where he went, anyway." Ronin adds. "I bet ghost boy is gonna be running in circles for a while."

They all tentatively agree.

"Ok, so, you said we'd need another voodoo doll?" Kai turns to Sensei Wu. "Why? Doesn't the spell only require that person who originally cast the curse on the person we're trying to get out be exchanged?"

"Yes. But in this case, since I started the spell and Lloyd finished it, we will need one for both of us." Sensei Wu poured himself a cup of tea. "We will also need to personify them."

"You mean like when they make the dolls look like the person they're trying to control in the shows?"

"Yes…" Sensei Wu sighs. "It's similar to that, in a manner of speaking."

Ronin steps away from the group and their little craft project and heads out to the upper deck. Honestly, thanks to all the madness that's going on, the chance of him getting all of REX's parts back anytime soon was looking smaller and smaller.

He slips his hand into his pocket and pulls out what he'd found back in Cyrus' place. The stone glowed a soft cyan and was cold to the touch. It looked valuable, so maybe it'd fetch a nice price on the market.

 _Might as well go now, while they're busy playing dress-up with their dolls._

* * *

At first following Zane had been easy; he'd left a trail of frozen footsteps in his wake. But the footsteps ended at a river and the titanium nindroid was nowhere in sight. The master of earth could try following the river, but he didn't think Zane was just going to randomly swim downstream.

 _He probably calmed down enough to get a hold of his powers._

Sighing, Cole looks around one more time, as if the master of ice would spontaneously appear. He didn't. Of course. That would be too easy, and when were their lives ever easy?

"You look lost." The voice rings out clearly, followed shortly by its owner (its usurper).

"Viperae." Cole can't help the sneer that falls into place on his face. He was so tired of this all… "What do you want?"

"Hm~? I already told you what I want." He tilts his head, looking at Cole curiously. "Have you thought any more about my offer?"

"After what you did to Lloyd, you think I'd accept anything from you?!"

"What I did? You mean give the dragon pup hope? Give him a way to save the dragon lord?" He raises a hand to his heart, a look of mock hurt and confusion on his face. "What about that is so bad?"

"You…" Cole's finger nails bit into his palm with how hard he was clenching his fists. "You tricked him!"

"I never lied to him." Viperae pouts. Actually _pouts_. "In fact, I gave him every chance to ask the right questions, but he chose ignorance. If anyone's to blame, it's the dragon pup."

"You act like you're so _generous_ -" Cole's scathing remark is cut off by the other's sharp tone.

"I _am_." The master of earth has to tell himself to calm down, to hold back. The image of this person fighting three of his brothers all at once, deadly and graceful in equal measure, comes to the forefront of his mind. Cole held no illusions about his odds in a one on one fight against this person. "Tell me, when you get nothing in return, do you smile and tell yourself it's fine because the other person is happy? _No_! You cut ties, burn bridges, and seek out people who you can gain from. _Truly_ , that I am willing to give at _all_ makes me generous."

It seems he'd hit a nerve.

"I'm not going to join you." Cole says firmly.

"Not even if I can lift the curse you're under?"

"If there is a way to undo this, then we can find it ourselves." He turns to start walking back to the ship.

"Some things are lost to time. If not for me, you'd have no hope, you know." Despite himself, Cole glances back at those words and is shocked to see that the other actually looks disappointed (sad, even).

He's not sure why he stops. Maybe it's because, even though he knows it's not, it's Jay standing there looking dejected. He turns halfway to the other.

"How about this? You fix me, get out of my friend's body, and I'll be your friend." His heart is starting to pound in his chest. "Not your follower, or minion, but your _friend_."

"…I'm afraid I can't do that." Viperae shakes his head.

"Then we have nothing to talk about." The master of earth had expected that sort of answer. Still, the disappointment it brings up is just as potent. He has to force himself to walk away.

When the other doesn't call out for him to stop, he knows he didn't manage to play his hand right.

 _Was I just imagining how lonely he seemed?_

* * *

Zane had been running for a while (seventeen minutes and twenty five seconds), but he wasn't even winded. There was a strange sense of dysphoria he'd never felt before. The soft, almost inaudible sound of his mechanics working seemed odd, and the shiny metal of his skin looked all wrong.

" _What a beautiful stone." He hums, looking over the gemstone on display. It was cut into the shape of a heart, likely to go with its soft pink color. He'd overlooked it when they'd arrived during the day, but now that it was night, the soft glow of it had beckoned him over._

It's dizzying. Shouldn't he be able to hear his heart beating? Wait, no, he didn't have a human heart.

" _It's a shame they cut it." He nearly jumps at the thief's soft whisper. It was rare that anyone managed to sneak up on him, although he had been a bit enraptured by the gemstone._

He needed to clear his head. To focus his thoughts. He needed to meditate.

" _What do you mean?" He turns away from the gemstone and looks at the other. The gemstone's glow casts an odd lighting on his face, makes his mismatched eyes glow strangely, and for a moment he thinks this was why people called it the witch's gaze, because he felt like the other was casting a spell on him._

He can hear the sound of a rushing river nearby. That was what he needed. He'd never felt more at peace then when he'd meditate underwater.

His chest starts to seize with pain as he slips underwater, and before he knows it he's being carried downstream. Fighting through the pain, he rights himself and braces against the flow. Getting into a meditative stance, he tries to clear his head.

" _When a soul stone is cut, it slowly starts to lose its glow, and when it goes completely dark, the whole thing just crumbles apart." The thief turns to look at the stone, breaking the spell._

" _I-is that what it's called? What an interesting name." He turns back to the gemstone as well. "Is it called that because of its glow?"_

" _You really haven't heard the legend behind the soul stone?"_

" _My father was not a fan of legends. He preferred facts."_

" _I suppose a scholar would… well, I guess I'm just used to thieves. Soul stone is so rare, if you managed to get one and sell it on the black market, you'd have more money than you could ever spend. Or so they say. Honestly, I wasn't even sure it was real until now."_

" _Is it truly that rare?"_

" _That ties back into the legend."_

" _What is this legend, then, if it is so important?"_

" _There are a lot of variants, actually, but none ever rang so true as the story of sleeping beauty. As the story goes, a beautiful young maiden is afflicted by a curse, which will kill her once enough time passes. Her lover, desperate to save her, searches high and low for the cure." The thief pauses. "While he never found the cure, they say he found a spell that would keep her from dying. He pulls her soul right from her chest, which slowly crystalizes once it touches the air, and she falls into a deep sleep. They say she 'lived' for a hundred years, never aging or dying, even as the castle was abandoned and became overgrown."_

" _Wait, why is she in a castle?"_

" _Hm? Oh, yeah, I guess she was a princess or something."_

" _That seems kind of important."_

" _Trust me, it isn't."_

"… _As long as you're not leaving out anything important, I guess." Although he certainly thought the maiden being a princess was important._

" _Where was I…? Right. So, a hundred years later someone finds her in this overgrown castle. They find her soul stone, too, but they don't know what it is. They think that since there's a thread connecting it to her chest, that it's the reason she can't wake. So they cut the thread and she dies, turning to dust before their eyes."_

" _Why did she turn to dust? I thought she was supposed to be in a kind of stasis."_

" _I don't know, maybe it was the curse?" Shrugging the thief goes on. "Anyway, they sell the stone for a pretty penny, and it's made into the most beautiful jewelry in the land… for a time. Slowly the stones lose their glow, as the life-force that was trapped inside the stone leaks out, and once it's gone the stones just crumble into dust same as the maiden had. And that's the story of how soul stone got its name."_

" _Wait, that's it?"_

" _Yep." The thief looks over at the stone again. "Don't think too hard about it."_

 _He looks over at the gemstone with newfound sadness. If the legend was true, that meant this was once a person who was now slowly withering away. Did having their soul stone cut hurt?_

"… _Do any of the legends give a way to fix a broken soul stone?"_

" _Why, do you want to try and fix this one?"_

" _I do."_

" _Ah, well, then it's probably too late for this one. You'd need to gather all the pieces before it fades, and while I wouldn't mind helping you steal this piece, we have no idea where the rest of it is."_

"… _I suppose it'd be just as cruel to prolong its existence in such a state, too." He says sadly. "I cannot even imagine what it must be like to be stuck with such a fate."_

" _Yeah, well, soul stone is rare for a reason. No one knows the spell anymore, so I don't think you'll ever have to worry about it."_

Zane's eyes snap open, a sharp, throbbing pain in his chest, and realization hits him.

He presses a hand to his chest, imagines the softly glowing stone within. Half of what it should be, the other half blown to smithereens, scattered into who knew how many little pieces.

His power source, likely a soul stone, was going to slowly leak power until it couldn't sustain itself anymore, and then it would crumble into nothing…

 _I'm going to die._

* * *

Jay collides with the next reel, not bothering to slow down, and then he's looking down at his hand in annoyance. A small pinprick of blood was welling up from where the glass container meant to hold the dark matter had shattered and cut him.

"Honestly, why do they bother making more when they don't even have the proper tools to contain it?"

The memory blurs, and although he doesn't know how he knows, it's a few weeks later and there's a pounding on his door. It's loud, insistent, but he can't bring himself to move from his position on the floor across from the toilet.

He felt horrible. It wasn't an exaggeration to say he felt like he was dying.

 _All things come second to the pursuit of knowledge._

He can hear his father's voice admonishing him. For the first time in his life, he'd had to call in sick. Maybe he'd die here, all alone. No one could stand him; they all left when they realized he didn't make time for anything but work.

He was pathetic… useless… what good was he if he couldn't work?

His stomach revolts and he's heaving into the toilet once more. Strings of purple-black tinged saliva dripping down. He'd long ago lost everything in his stomach; it had come out as a disturbingly black sludge that had left an oddly sweet taste in his mouth.

 _This has to be the effects of that Dark Fluid…_

There hadn't been any glass in the wound, and it had briefly turned an odd bruise purple around the edges before healing. It might be a stretch, but he was sure that was the cause of this…

"H-! Your landlord let me in!" His superior's voice could be heard, muffled by the door.

Had he come to scold him for not coming into work today? Maybe he was going to fire him.

He didn't want to move, to deal with that just yet. It was bad enough that his last boss had hated him enough to recommend he transfer to this division, but now he was going to be fired.

"-K-?" He hears the man walk by, his heavy footsteps heading for the bedroom. There's a pause, then the footsteps come back and he hears the bathroom door open. The lights are flicked on and he cringes at its painful brightness. "Here you are…"

"'urn it off…" He mumbles into his knees, head beginning to throb, sharp spikes of pain like hot nails digging into his brain.

"What?" The other comes closer, kneeling down next to him, and suddenly there's a too warm hand on his shoulder. "Geez, -o-, you're freezing."

He feels too warm. His stomach is churning. His head is trying to murder him.

"Here, why don't we get you into bed?" The sudden shift in altitude makes his head spin. It takes far too long, after he's already in the soft confines of his bed, to realize the other had picked him up.

"Wha-…" He has to stop, to take a deep breath, before he can speak without worrying about heaving. "Why are you here?"

"I was worried when you called in sick." It's hard to focus on the man's face in the lighting. It's too bright. "I had to force you to go home the last time, so I thought it must be pretty bad if you actually called in sick." A hand presses against his forehead. He can't make himself shift back enough to escape its heat. "And you do look pretty terrible. Maybe I should call the hospital…"

"N-No hospitals…" They always asked so many questions and made everything worse in the end.

"Yeah, Yeah… When was the last time you ate?" He doesn't remember. He shrugs, the movement so small he isn't sure the other can see it, but he does, and he sighs. "Do you think you could stomach something?"

He tries to shake his head, but the room starts to spin, and he isn't sure just which of his superior's is the real one.

"You don't… y-you don't have to…" He forgets what he's going to say.

"I told you last time, it's a superior's duty to take care of his underlings. So unless you've got someone else who can take care of you…?" He chooses to focus on a spot on the wall rather than answer that. "It'd be a lot easier if you didn't keep people at an arm's length at all times, -s."

There was something prickling at his mind, a vague feeling he can't place. He doesn't know what it is, so he just ignores it.

His superior says something about blankets and heads for the door.

* * *

Lloyd's hands were shaking as he wrote down the spell. Nerves were getting to him. Worry that something would go wrong, the anticipation of seeing his dad again… This had to work.

They'd already finished the voodoo dolls. Straw makes up the hair of his, and he'd cut up one of his old gis to make a little outfit for it. Wu's had a tiny hat to match his, and for some reason his uncle hadn't objected when Kai had stuffed it into one of his teacups. Then again, with as much tea as he drinks, it might have stronger ties to him than any of his clothes would.

"Is the spell ready?" His uncle asks.

"Ah…" He looks it over quickly one last time, just to be sure. "Yeah. It's done."

"Okay. Kai, are you ready?"

"Yep." Kai holds out his hand to Lloyd, who hands him the paper with the spell written on it. "Let's get this show on the road."

They set the two voodoo dolls on the ground together and Kai begins to read the spell aloud. A glowing green circle appears under the dolls as they start to float in the air. The portal opens, sucks in the dolls and then…

"Dad?"

End chapter twenty.

* * *

AN: Happy fourth of July! I figured I'd put up the next chapter early in celebration. Don't worry, I'll still keep to the regular schedule, so this is just a bonus this week! Hope you all enjoy both this chapter and the holiday! ^u^

Kit Brightside


	23. Chapter 22

Garmadon had resigned himself to his fate. From the moment he knew they needed to release the Anacondrai generals, he knew this would be his fate. Being able to see his son one last time had been a blessing he hadn't anticipated, but he'd appreciated it none-the-less.

When they'd defeated the preeminent the cursed realm had been heavily affected. Pieces of the realm began to break apart, some falling into what appeared to be an endless nothingness. He had been lucky; the destruction had freed him from his chains, allowing him to move unhindered.

But even with his movement unhindered surviving was still a struggle. The cursed realm was not a realm meant for the living. There was no natural water nor any kind of life besides those sent here by the curse. He'd found so many bodies… It seemed like the preeminent fed on them. If not on the decaying bodies themselves, then on their trapped souls somehow.

Loathe as he was to admit it, their misfortune was sometimes his boon. Those who'd had supplies with them when they were sent to the cursed realm, be it water, food, or even just some clothing or a blanket to help keep himself warm in this desolate place were taken with a quick prayer for the dead.

It wasn't much, but it kept him going.

Aside from the bodies and the few who were still alive (who he'd avoided mainly because he knew supplies were scarce as it was and he couldn't help them without dooming them both), there were mainly ghosts that inhabited this realm.

There were many who had taken up terrorizing the living, those who seemed to spend all their time crying, and even those who didn't even realize they were dead. With the battle between the ninja and the preeminent they had gone down in number and even now they were dwindling.

There had been plenty of times when Garmadon had considered accepting his death (which was bound to happen eventually) with grace, but every time he'd think of his son and found he could not give up.

 _I will not stop until I either cannot move anymore, or I find a way back to you, my son._

That was the promise he'd made. That was the promise he'd kept. No matter how hard it was, how delirious from dehydration he became, or weak from starvation, he pushed on… and now…

"Dad?"

Now he got to see his son one last time.

"Dad!"

The world goes black.

* * *

"Hey, it's the blue ninja!" The guard says with a laugh. "What brings you to our prison today? Need to see one of the prisoners?"

"Yes, I do." Viperae smiles. "In fact, I'd like to talk to all of them."

"All of them?" The guard seems a little confused at that. "I'll have to ask, but I don't think you'll be allowed to…"

"Unfortunately for you, I'm not interested in obtaining your permission." He says airily.

"Wha-" The guard only has a moment to process the words before two blades are buried in his chest.

"Now how _did_ you get to be a guard at such a prison when you have such poor reflexes~?" He tsks at the man.

"You…" The guard chokes, spitting up blood.

"Hm~?" Viperae laughs. "You'll have to speak up!"

"You won't…. get away…. With this…"

"How boring." He sighs. Pulling his blades free he allows the man to collapse. "I don't know why I bother talking to you people sometimes… it all ends up the same in the end." Shaking his head and stepping over the slowly dying guard, he mumbles. "I've already wasted enough time as it is."

* * *

Zane is laying on the bank of the river when Falk shows up. The mechanical falcon lands next to him and begins to project a message from his friends.

"We got Garmadon out of the cursed realm." It's Nya, she looks worried. "But he doesn't look good, so we're taking him to the hospital. We'll send you the address, so meet us there."

The projection ends and Falk sends him the address directly to his systems. Zane can't help but cringe, still feeling that lingering dysphoria. He doesn't get up at first. It's only after Falk lets out a questioning chirp that he does.

 _Should I use my elemental dragon?_ He wonders. _Or would that just speed up my death?_

Would any use of his powers just exacerbate the issue? But he couldn't just sit around doing nothing, not when Jay needed their help. Not to mention he knows what happened to Cyrus now, too.

Not that he knows how to fix it. How does one go about putting a soul back into its body? He wishes that the thief he kept seeing in his visions had said, or that the hunter had thought to ask. Maybe no one really knew how to put them back… In which case, Cyrus would end up like sleeping beauty. In a coma until everyone around him perished, stuck until someone came along and either fixed him or killed him.

Zane hoped it wouldn't come to that.

He'd have to tell the others what was going on, why his powers were going haywire, and about the visions he'd been seeing. Would he continue to see them now? Was telling him he was going to die the only reason, or was there another?

 _If that were the case, why would I not have the visions sooner?_

Shouldn't he have started having these visions back when he'd first cut his power source in two? Or even after he'd rebuilt himself? For it to have taken so long… no, there must be another catalyst.

Now the only question was what that catalyst could have been. If he can figure that out, he might be able to figure out why he was having these visions.

* * *

Lloyd sat at his dad's bedside silently. His dad looked so… fragile. He was used to his dad being larger than life. First as a great, evil lord who everyone feared, then as a wise sensei who people respected. To see him looking so small in a hospital bed was surreal.

"Dad…" He grips his dad's hand lightly. It was cold, but not so much that one could mistake him for… He decides not to finish that thought. "Dad, I'm here."

His dad doesn't stir. He hadn't woken since he'd collapsed back on the Bounty, but the doctors said it was just because of exhaustion.

"You don't have to worry." He tells his dad softly. "Everything's going to be fine. We're together now, so everything's going to be fine…"

He feels like such a child tearing up like this. He'd asked the others for a moment alone with his father, but they'd likely be coming back any minute, and he didn't want them to see him crying. Besides, the doctors sounded hopeful about his dad's recovery. That he'd just needed to get some nutrients and maybe some physical therapy and that he'd be fine.

"Lloyd?" Cole calls out from the doorway, tone serious. "Jay's on the news."

The green ninja feels his heart sink.

"What happened?"

* * *

"The usual?" Skylor asks as soon as Dareth sits down at the bar.

"Of course." The honorary ninja says with his typical 'charming' smile. "With some jasmine tea."

"Alright, one plate of puffy pot stickers and a cup of jasmine tea coming right up." She goes to put in the order.

Dareth sits back in his chair and lets his attention wander while he waited for his food. Chen's noodle house had never done better since Skylor had taken over it, although it probably helped that she wasn't using it to fund any evil plans. Not to mention bringing back the puffy pot stickers. That was probably the biggest reason it was doing so well, or at least that's what Dareth thought.

"-prison break like no other." The words catch Dareth's attention, drawing it to the news reporter on the television. If something major had happened it wasn't a stretch to assume that the ninja would get involved sooner or later, especially since they'd practically dropped off the radar. "Every single guard has been murdered and all of the prisoners have escaped."

"Here's your tea."

"Oh, thanks." He takes his eyes off the screen for a second to give Skylor a thankful smile and to grab his drink. "Hey, could you turn the TV up a bit?"

"Sure thing." She grabs the remote, turns it up a few notches, and then moves on to helping her other customers.

"Authorities are still scrambling to figure out what happened, as well as recapture all the escaped criminals." Dareth snorts. Most of the criminals in there were caught by the ninja, so unless they were planning to ask them for help, the chances of them getting more than one or two was small. "But leaked security footage tells a horrifying tale."

The video quality goes down as it switches from showing the newscaster to showing the security footage. It shows a guard backing up, shooting at someone and then… then the guard goes stiff before collapsing to the ground. There are a few seconds of nothing, then a familiar figure dressed in blue, clothes stained with blood, walks up to the fallen guard. He kneels down to him, says something the camera doesn't pick up, and then, just as he's raising two bloodstained blades, the scene's cut off.

Dareth chokes on his tea.

"As you can see, it appears that one of the ninja have gone rogue." Dareth flags down Skylor, who hurries over.

"Is everything okay?"

"I'm going to need those puffy pot stickers to go."

"Sure…" She glances up at the TV, easily guessing that it's the cause of the sudden change.

"Don't believe those lies." Dareth grits his teeth, cursing the ninja for leaving him out of the loop. How was he supposed to help prevent this kind of stuff if they didn't give him any advanced warnings?

"I don't." She turns back to him, a worried look on her face. "Someone's framing him, right?"

"Probably." Although it was unlikely that anyone would stop at just framing one of the ninja. "Listen, I've got some damage control to do..."

She doesn't need to be told twice, she quickly gets his puffy pot stickers and rings him up.

"Keep me updated?" She asks as he turns to leave.

"Sure thing." He agrees. "It's the least I can do for you after you brought back the puffy pot stickers."

She rolls her eyes as he leaves. It was almost a joke between them, now. Almost. Dareth was half serious about it and Skylor still saw him as more of a pushy customer than a friend, but that was perhaps more favorably than anyone else seemed to view him, if he were honest.

If he were honest, he'd admit that almost no one seemed to like him despite his efforts to put his best foot forward. He could manage to make others popular, he'd proven that with the sometimes controversial ninja, so he didn't understand just why it was people seemed to dislike him.

 _They'll come around to your charm eventually._ He tells himself. _Right now you've got to focus on doing damage control._

Whether that was Jay or not on the screen (but knowing the blue ninja he couldn't imagine him doing anything so malicious) he had to convince the public that it wasn't. Then he'd grill the ninja for answers… They had to know something was up.

* * *

 _How many memories have I seen so far?_ Jay wonders as he approaches the next reel. _At this point I could probably call myself an expert._

He steps into the reel, runs his hands under the water and watches the blood run down the drain.

"So what are you going to tell your parents this time?" Looking up at the question, he meets Flint's eyes in the mirror.

"It's just my palms that are scraped up." He shrugs. "I'll just say I tripped."

"And how clumsy do your folks think you are?" The ring in Flint's eyebrow glints in the light as he raises it in question. "I mean, you've got new bruises and scrapes almost every day. Doesn't that go beyond anyone's natural clumsiness?"

"According to Da… to _Dad_ it's normal for boy's to get hurt when they roughhouse." Taking his hands out from under the faucet he flexes them a few times. It stings. Badly. But if it went the way it usually did, it'd be healed in a day or two. He'd just have to deal with the pain anytime he flexes them until then.

"Still trying to get rid of that adorable accent of yours?"

"It's not adorable." He grumbles as he turns the water off and turns to lean back against the counter so he can face Flint. "Why do you think those guys target me in the first place?"

"Because they're jealous that you're smarter and get more attention from the ladies?"

"They treat me more like a little brother." He shakes his head. "And besides, I'm not that smart."

"Dude. If you're not smart than the rest of the world is retarded." The older boy snorts. "Besides, people are overrated. I don't know why you even wanted to go back to public school; if I could stand my folks I'd love to be homeschooled."

"Are you seriously happy with your only friend being a fourteen year old loser with a joke name?"

"C'mon, you're the criminal to my gun. We make a perfect pair, why would I need anyone else?"

"Yeah, a jaywalker and a flintlock sure do make for a pair." He says sarcastically.

"You'd think our parents hated us or something." Flint snarks. "Honestly, who even names their kid after a _pirate_?"

"Well, pirates _are_ cool."

"No way." Flint scoffs. "Ninja are _way_ cooler!"

"Come on, with those eyepatches, the gold, and the ships, pirates beat ninja any day." He lets his gaze drift up to the ceiling as he imagines some awesome pirates. "Of course, it'd be even cooler if the ship could fly…"

"You and your weird inventions…" Flint says with a fake sigh. "Honestly, I don't know whether you'll change the world or go down in infamy as a mad scientist."

"You forgot a third option." He does his best to keep a serious look on his face. "I could go down in infamy as the mad scientist who changed the world."

"What, are you going to be some kind of supervillain?"

"Only if my trusty gun is there to be my second in command!"

"How could I say no to such a wonderful proposition as that? Let's go take over the world!"

The two bust out laughing. He's still laughing as he stumbles out of the reel, until suddenly he's not.

He hadn't thought about Flint for a long time. His first friend… lost for such trivial reasons. For such gigantic reasons. Lost because Jay was selfish, was blind, because he focused solely on himself and his problems.

 _ **Everyone around you dies, don't they?**_

The sudden whisper catches him off guard. The sand around him surges, tendrils shooting up into the air before grabbing onto him. Lightning crackles, the sand crystalizes, but more comes.

Within two seconds it's pulling him under. Deeper. The pressure pilling on his chest, horrible thoughts and memories resurging, flowing and mixing together until he isn't sure what's what.

"Don't be so hard on him Ed."

 _ **Pathetic…**_

"It's like he isn't even trying, Edna!"

 _ **Weak…**_

"You didn't fix me!"

 _ **Useless…**_

"I'm sorry… but Flint… H-he… He…"

 _ **Wouldn't everyone be better off dead?**_

 _Wait… what?_

The last thought startles him so badly that he can shake the thoughts off for a moment. He takes advantage of it, summoning as much lightning as he can, pulls it close to his center, and lets it flow through his veins.

The light pushes the darkness back and he pushes up, breaks through the crystalized sand and shoots up into the sky with the force. As he slows down he finds himself in the clouds. Lightning rumbling all around him, sparking through the clouds to reach out like a gentle caress.

Jay just floats there for a moment, trying to sort out his thoughts. What was that last thought? It certainly wasn't his…

The little light flies up, flutters about him in an almost worried manner before settling close to his chest. He raises his hands up to cup under it. Its glow was a comfort, even if it was cold to the touch.

"Hey, little guy." He says softly. "I must have worried you, huh?"

It shudders a little. Jay still isn't sure if it actually understands him, but he'll take that as a yes.

"Sorry about that… I think I kind of made this place angry." Except for the sky. This was his territory, where lightning got its start, so he figures he's safe up here. "But I can't stop now." He decides. He feels like he's so close to something. He isn't sure what, but it feels important.

If the sand was so desperate to stop him, he must be getting close to something it doesn't want him to see.

The little light floats up. It's ready, he thinks, and so he floats down below the cloud layer. Immediately sand begins to shoot up into the sky with a violent intensity aimed right at him. He dodges, seconds slowing down as his heart speeds up, and he darts back into the cover of the clouds.

"I-uh, wasn't expecting that…" He laughs nervously. The little light bobs in the air. Probably agreeing with him. Cupping his hands under the light once more, Jay gives it a serious look. "It's probably gonna be real dangerous down there now… It's probably for the best if you stay up here, where it's safe."

It doesn't move at first, but then it presses close to Jay's chest. At first the master of lightning just thinks it's either unwilling to say goodbye, or maybe just drawing out their parting, but it soon starts to meld into him. It's like having a shard of ice pierce his chest, which hurts at first, and little white lines spread out from the point, looking like a jagged snowflake.

Jay blinks in surprise for a moment, runs his fingers over the mark experimentally, and then smiles wryly.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

For a second he's falling through the clouds, feeling light as a feather, and then he's flying through the sky dodging the sand trying to grab him. Fast as lightning he goes, dodging left and right, until he hits the next reel and he's lying in a bed.

"Hy-…" His superior looks pained, although it's hard to tell through the hazmat suit visor. Hard to hear him, as well. "The dark matter… It's… It's consuming you. Eating away at your cells, replicating itself, and releasing dark energy."

Turning his head to look at the IV attached to his arm took more effort than it should have. He knew they'd been giving him blood infusions near constantly to replace what the dark fluid was destroying, as well as giving him nutrients because everything he did manage to eat was consumed by the dark fluid before he could benefit from it. Also painkillers. Likely a lot of painkillers.

To think his desire to be a part of this project would lead him to this. Quarantined in a makeshift hospital inside the division he'd once worked for, skin mottled with purple and black like bruises, being slowly killed by the very thing he'd wanted to study. He'd certainly go down in history; the first person to die from the dark fluid their revolutionary machine had synthesized.

 _And then they'll probably shut down the project… what a shame. The scientific value of this find far surpassed my measly worth._

"Don't worry, though." His superior says seriously, and grips his hand with his plastic covered one. It takes even more effort to turn his head back to look at the other man. "We're going to find a cure, I promise, so just hold on."

 _A cure… as if this were just some virus and not an unknown type of matter._

"D-don't…" He hacks up more dark fluid, the foreign matter sweet on his tongue and sticking in his throat. "Don't be foolish."

His superior frowns and tightens his grip.

"I won't rest until I do." He says stubbornly. "I _promise_. And I've never broken a promise yet."

 _What a foolish man…_

He isn't sure why tears begin to well in his eyes. The world blurs and his arms feel too heavy to wipe them away. The world tints purple with them, and he hears someone curse. He was crying a diluted form of dark fluid, no doubt.

 _Pathetic… Weak… Useless… This is going to be how I'll die._

Jay stumbles out of the reel, his own head reeling. It's lucky that the lightning pouring down from the sky drives off the sand long enough for him to regain his bearings and follow after the reel up into the sky. He feels heavy still, and he has to look down at his hands to check and see if those sickly black and purple bruises are on his skin too.

It isn't, but right now he's more lightning than person, energy crackling where skin should be.

 _Almost…_ He clenches his hands and takes a deep breath. _We're almost there._

* * *

"Oh, my beautiful stone warrior… to think you'd be the only one to survive." Viperae sighs. The stone warrior is kneeling before him, although its large size meant it was still towering over him. It was a symbol of his power, and although a single one couldn't accomplish all that he had in mind, it'd help to deter any attacks that his new underlings might think about planning. "Tell me, who are you loyal to?"

" **To you, my Lord."**

"Good~." He couldn't stop the giddy little laugh that bubbles up. It'd been so long since he'd heard that old language spoken by anyone other than himself. "And what are your main functions?"

" **To protect and serve my Lord."**

"Good…" He lets out a little wistful sigh. If he'd had his full army he'd be able to get started immediately, but he'd have to make do with the common rabble he'd found along with his warrior. "You may stand."

Its head nearly brushes the ceiling as it does as he says. Yes, those criminals would definitely think twice before trying anything with this at his back, but to rely on it would also be a sign of weakness. He'd have to think carefully about how he used it.

Without his needing to say anything, the stone warrior falls into step behind him as he heads towards the group who'd been smart enough to join him. They'd all be under his rule soon enough, either way, but he couldn't be bothered to whip them into line at the moment, and the ruckus they'd cause could only make his own goals easier to achieve.

He takes a moment to stand back and observe them. The way they act, petty bickering and pointless tasks marked them out as underlings exclusively. It seemed that those who'd held any position of power had decided they'd be better off on their own or fleeing to their previous masters.

"My Lord." Oh, and then there was Cryptor. "I have taken stock of the various skills and weaknesses of those who have opted to join us. Would you like a report?"

"Later." He assuages the nindroid. Even before he'd had such trouble understanding these finicky Gollum. He understood that the materials often affected the final outcome of a Gollum, like with his stone warriors, but these ones acted with such… independence. Not to the same degree as the one that those ninja had working for them, of course, but enough to make him wonder at their limits. "For now I'd like to establish the proper order of things. There isn't anything I'll need to know for that, is there?"

"No, my Lord." The nindroid bows to him in respect. "I am certain that your power will be enough to keep these scum in line."

He can't help but laugh at the almost _opinionated_ way that the Gollum says that. If he didn't know any better he'd say the thing could think for itself and had something resembling a human personality. But he wasn't a fool. He knew better than to project onto his Gollum the way others did. They were humanoid in shape only.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he approaches the group and clears his throat. Once he's sure he has all of their attention he begins.

"You've all made the right choice in joining me today…" He sees a few eyes roll, and his smile becomes tight at the edges. He lets his eyes go cold and his voice drop low as he says. "But let me make one thing clear. I won't tolerate any kind of betrayal. If you betray me, I'll kill you. Any questions?"

They all shift uneasily. He still had the guards' blood on him, a tactical move on his part. A visual reminder that he'd already killed and so it'd be easy for him to do so again. Of course one had the gall to raise his hand. A skeleton. Probably only had hard calcium where his brain should be.

"Uh, but what if we run really far away?"

"It doesn't matter where you hide, or how far you run. I'll track you down and crush your very bones to dust. Does that answer your question?" He makes sure to make his reply sickly sweet, to maximize the effect the words will have. The skeleton starts to shake so hard his bones are rattling as he quickly nods in understanding. "Good. Let's not waste any time, then, we've got a lot of work to do."

End chapter twenty two


	24. Chapter 23

"Soul stone?" Ronin scoffs. "You've gotta be joking. Aren't those just a myth?"

The criminal had decided to get the stone he'd found appraised before he took it to the black market. He wasn't going to get a penny less than it was actually worth, so knowing what it was and the true value would help when crafting whatever story he'd make up to make it sound worth the inflated price. He had gone to a few appraisers because none of them seemed to be telling him the entire truth, but he hadn't expected this appraiser to tell him he'd found a myth.

"I assure you I am not joking, sir." The way the appraiser says 'sir' tells Ronin a lot about what this man thinks of him. Not that he could blame him, Ronin did have a rather scruffy look overall. "Soul stone is extremely rare. Of course, I am afraid that I cannot buy this."

"Is it worth that much?" Ronin can't keep the surprise from his tone. If this man couldn't afford it, then he'd have to be careful about who he chose to sell it too. He'd have to be careful about who he even let know he had it, because it'd be a prime target for thievery.

"It is worth a lot, but I cannot buy this because it has quite clearly been damaged." He turns the stone over in hand, holding up a magnifying glass to it. "The edges are rough, aside from on one side, so I believe that whoever was trying to shape the stone messed up and broke it. Either way, it would be impossible to know when this stone would lose its glow and crumble to pieces, and I'd rather not take the gamble on being able to sell any piece with this in time."

"I see." Ronin takes the stone back from the man, who despite his words seemed unwilling to part with it. "Well, thanks anyway."

 _Not that I was ever going to sell to you._

He'd have to think carefully about what he did with this. It could solve all his money problems, or it could paint a target on his back. Of course, that was only assuming that it didn't crumble into dust before he could do anything with it.

Carefully wrapping the stone up in a bandana, he stuffs it deep into his pocket for now. He didn't have REX's vault to keep it safely tucked away in, which was aggravating, so he'd have to think of another way to secure it. Once he was back on the Bounty, he'd-...

"Of _course_ they left without telling me." Ronin says with an aggravated sigh. He'd only been gone for a couple hours but the ninja had gone and left without even leaving him a note. Sure, he hadn't exactly told them he was leaving, either, but he was only planning on being out for a day at most. They'd gone and moved the whole ship!

 _Guess I'm going to have to call them._ He thinks irritably. If they'd just hurried up on getting all of REX's parts, he wouldn't even have to care that they'd left. He'd be off doing what he did best, making money, instead of dealing with their barely concealed contempt. _On second thought, it might be faster if I just gathered all of the parts myself._

"Uh, excuse me?" Ronin turns to the voice, finding a man who looks so rumpled and messy that he appeared to have just rolled out of bed and pulled on the first clothes he'd found on the floor. Even his glasses were held together with tape. "You know Jay, right? Jay Walker, the ninja, I mean."

Ah, a fan. Must have taken the news story about Jay 'helping him turn over a new leaf' at face value.

"Sorry pal…" He starts to say, then stops. He could use this. How much would the average fan pay to meet one of the ninja? Then again, this guy didn't look like he had much money on him, even with the worn out duffle bag slung over his shoulder. Probably wouldn't be worth the trouble after all. "I can't help you."

"A-Are you sure? This is important, I promise. If you have _any_ way of contacting the ninja-"

"I'm not their manager," He quickly cuts the other off. He didn't want to hear whatever sob story the other would concoct in order to try and guilt him into doing something for him. "I don't keep tabs on their every move."

Not waiting for a response, Ronin quickly begins to walk away from the other man.

"The manager…" He hears the other mutter, thankfully appearing more interested in whatever he was thinking of rather than pursuing the criminal any further.

 _I better make sure I get REX fixed up and I get out of there before I get caught up in their crazed fandom._

First, though, he needed to find a phone.

"Ronin!" A familiar bronze toaster calls out, hurrying across the street to meet him on the sidewalk. Seems Ronin's luck was looking up, if Echo just so happened to show up at just the right moment. "There you are. I have been looking all over for you."

"Miss me that badly?" He asks sarcastically.

"No." Wow, so blunt it almost hurt. "I was sent to retrieve you after the others realized that they had left without you. It was difficult to track your location, but-"

"Yeah, yeah, you found me. Weren't you supposed to be deciphering that weird mark?"

"My brother arrived and took over." The nindroid pauses, momentarily having a troubled look on his face. "He had much to say before that, though."

"So I take it a lot has happened in the few hours I was gone?" Ronin rolls his shoulders and gestures to the nindroid to start walking. He didn't know where the ninja had set up their ship so he'd need the bronze toaster to act as a GPS for now.

"Yes. It is rather alarming to think so much could happen in such a short span of time." Thankfully the nindroid seemed to understand and began to lead the way back to the Bounty. "First they got Garmadon out of the cursed realm, but he appeared to be dehydrated and severely malnourished. We decided to take him to the hospital, which is why we moved the ship so suddenly. After that Jay, or more accurately, Viperae appeared on the news. He killed every guard at a prison and broke out all the prisoners. And finally…"

"There's seriously more?" He says in disbelief when the nindroid seemed hesitant to go on. "What else could have happened?"

"Brother is dying." The bronze nindroid says quietly. "He did not tell the others. He did not think that information was pertinent, but he did tell them that he knew what had happened to Cyrus."

Ronin hesitated for a split second. Why was the nindroid telling him this? They weren't friends, Ronin wasn't a part of their little group, so what made the bronze toaster decide to confide his 'brother's' secret to him of all people?

"Uh, how does a nindroid even die?" Hadn't he 'died' once before? If there was a problem with one of his parts then they could just replace it. There was no reason a nindroid had to die, right?

"His power source." Echo moves a hand to his chest, roughly where a heart would be on a person. "Have you heard of soul stone?"

The stone in his pocket feels heavy all of a sudden.

"So what if I have?"

"His power source is a soul stone… and he cut it in two." Echo's hand clenches over his 'heart' where his own power source no doubt lie. "And one half was destroyed. Exploded into countless pieces. The odds of collecting all the pieces are under one percent."

There's an awkward silence between them for a moment. Ronin stuffs his hands into his pockets while they walk, but the chill radiating from the stone leaves him no room to pretend that he wasn't a part of this awkward conversation.

"Why are you telling me this?" He asks. In his pocket he grabs the cloth wrapped stone.

"…I have a favor to ask." The nindroid stops walking, turns to look at him, expression serious. "You are good at finding things. Could you at least attempt to find all the pieces of my brother's soul stone?"

Ronin doesn't say anything at first. The other doesn't back down though, he holds both his ground and Ronin's gaze. Eventually the criminal sighs and pulls the stone out of his pocket and holds it out.

Caught off guard, the nindroid takes the covered stone with a curious expression. He unwraps it, revealing its soft cyan glow to the world.

"You're going to owe me a lot more than just my ship after this."

"Of course…" The nindroid looks up at him with such happiness that it actually makes the criminal a little uncomfortable. "Thank you, Ronin."

"Don't thank me." He shoves his hands into his pockets once more. "This is a business deal, I'm not doing it for free."

"Right." It was a relief to see the bronze nindroid's face return to its serious expression.

 _All the money I could have gotten from that…_ He can't help but groan quietly to himself as the toaster carefully wraps the stone back up and delicately stores it in his own pocket. _But after this they'll be so indebted to me that I could even ask them for their ship and they couldn't say no._

It wasn't that he was a good person. Sure, he didn't want to see one of them die, but he had to think of himself first if he wanted to survive. It wasn't that he cared about any of them (except maybe Nya) personally, either. Ronin was a thief and a conman. There was no way that that'd change just because he was stuck spending so much time with some vigilante, goody two shoes.

No way at all.

* * *

It wasn't long (as far as Jay could tell) before he's back dodging sand in order to reach the next reel. He collides with it and finds himself gripping onto Flint's shirt with trembling hands.

"I-I… are you… s-sure?"

"Dude, you've got to stop watching so many horror movies." Flint says with a glint of sympathy in his eyes. It must be obvious that the white lie he'd told wasn't true. "It's just an attic… and besides, I really want to show you what's up there."

"C-c-can't you ju-just bring it d-down here?"

"It's a little too big for that."

It was foolish. A childish fear, he knew. There wasn't anything in an attic that could hurt him. He couldn't explain why, but attics had always made him nervous ever since he was little. Even walking by one made him tense, so he didn't think he'd be able to actually go into one.

 _What kind of person's scared of an attic, anyway?_ He bites his lip, forces his shaking hands to let go of the other boy's shirt, and shakily nods his consent. _Only little kids and weirdos are scared of attics._

"Great!" Flint says happily, quickly climbing the ladder with ease.

He approaches the ladder slowly. Why were his legs trembling so much? They felt weak. His arms felt weak. Would he even be able to climb the ladder with his arms and legs feeling so weak? One by one, so painfully slow, he goes up the ladder. He keeps his eyes firmly on the ground as he goes up, pretends he's just climbing up to the crow's nest on a ship.

Eventually he's climbed up onto the attic floor.

"See, wasn't so bad, right?" Flint asks while grabbing an arm to help him stand. He won't admit that his legs are shaking so badly now that he needed the help. "Now, as for the thing I wanted to show you..."

Flint walks off to something pushed towards the back of the attic. Something that was large, larger than any one person could lift, that was covered in a white blanket.

"D-do…" The words catch in his throat as his heart starts beating in his ears. A little whine rips its way out of his throat as Flint begins reaching for the cloth. "Stuh-hah…"

He can't breathe anymore. There's a roaring and a ringing in his ears, the house is burning around him, it hurts, hurts, hurts… Blackness overtakes him, cradles him, whispers to his mind things he can't understand, and the next thing he knows the world is tilting and then he's stumbling out of the reel.

 _Don't think about it._

Jay doesn't waste any time taking to the sky, but he doesn't bother to hide again. He had to find the next reel. He had to keep moving. If he slowed down now, if he stopped to think about everything he remembered, then he was certain that the darkness would get a hold of him and he wouldn't be able to escape it again.

 _Everything will be fine if you don't think about it._

* * *

"You never see their face for a reason." Dareth says coolly to the host of the show. "It'd be easy for someone to get a wig and a blue gi. Whoever this deranged person is, it's obvious that their obsessed with Jay."

"Well, there you have it, folks." The host turns to the audience. "It seems some people can't help but drag the names of good people through the mud."

It was a subtle jab at their competitors, the one's who'd run the story about Jay attacking the prison in the first place, as well as the person who'd actually committed the crimes. Hopefully their mudslinging would help to call the validity of that report into question.

"So, is this stalker the reason the ninja have been absent from the spotlight for so long?" The host asks, turning back to the honorary ninja.

"You got it." Dareth hadn't thought of that, but it was a good excuse. "Unfortunately, until this person has been caught, I don't think the ninja will be able to return to the spotlight."

"Such dedicated heroes." The host says with an overblown amount of sincerity. Even Dareth found it to be a bit much, but people watched this show for a reason. "Well, we will all be eagerly awaiting the ninja's return."

"And they're all eager to return as well."

"That's all we have time for now. Thanks for taking the time to come out here today."

"No, thank _you_ for having me." They shake hands and he leaves the stage at a neutral pace. Not too fast, so as to make anyone think he was in a rush to be somewhere, and not too slow. Well, maybe he was a bit slow, just so he could savor his time in the limelight for a little bit longer.

He makes it out to his car before a voice speaks up nearby.

"Excuse me?" He tenses, expecting another crazed fan to insist he let them meet the ninja, or beg him to tell them when the ninja would next make an appearance. Instead he finds a middle aged man with wild hair and a duffle bag slung over his shoulder giving him an intense look. "Are you the ninja's manager?"

"Listen, I've got an appointment to make, so…" A lie, of course. After this he was planning on spamming the ninja's phone until they finally picked up, but he didn't have anywhere to be specifically.

"Please just hear me out, it's important." The man pushed his glasses up his nose, which almost immediately slipped down again. They looked like they were held together with duct tape. "My name is Alphonse Walker. I'm Jay's uncle and I think I know what's going on."

Well that was a first. Actually, now that Dareth stopped to think about it, this man did have similar features to Jay and his accent definitely marked him as an outsider.

"Is there a problem?" The security guard for the station approaches them, eyeing the man critically.

"No." Dareth says on impulse. "My assistant here was just apologizing for missing this appointment. But now he's here, so we can hopefully get to the next appointment without a hitch, right?"

"Uh, right." The man says unconvincingly.

"He's new." Dareth tells the security guard, who appears unconvinced. "First time working with big stars, too. You know how they can be."

"Isn't that the truth." The guard snorts. "You two have a good day."

Dareth doesn't bother to watch the guard walk away, just in case the man looks back, and instead hops into the driver's seat of his car.

"Well?" He asks the man, Alphonse, who's stupidly standing and watching the guard. "Are you getting in?"

"R-right!" The man scrambles into the passenger seat. "Thanks for that, by the way."

"So you're Jay's uncle?" Dareth asks as he starts up the car.

"I am."

"He never mentioned you." It was probably a bad idea to provoke the man, just in case it turned out he was crazy after all.

"He wouldn't… I wasn't really a part of his life after… since he was really little." The man pushes his glasses up again, which slide down once more. He goes a little cross eyed trying to look at something out the window.

"Okay." Dareth sets a course for Skylor's restaurant. Well, they were all hers, the noodle houses, but the one she liked to work at. He always thought of that one specifically as hers. "So what is it that you know about what's going on?"

"It's rather complicated." The man shifts his duffle in his lap a little. Dareth can hear the crinkling of paper inside it. "I'd rather only explain it once, to everyone."

"To the ninja, you mean?"

"Well, yes." The man pauses. "Is that a problem?"

"Hm?" Dareth plays dumb for a moment. "Oh, no, not at all. I just have to make a brief stop first."

"Good." The man sighs in relief. "Honestly I wasn't sure how to get in contact with the ninja if this fell through."

"Couldn't you have just asked Jay's parents?"

"We, uh, we aren't on speaking terms anymore…"

"Oh." That wasn't a good sign. If Jay's parents saw a reason to keep this man out of Jay's life and drop all communication with him, then there must be something wrong with this guy.

 _Helping him is probably a stupid idea. I should just pull over and tell him to get out._

He doesn't. Mainly because he doesn't know what kind of weapons that man might have in his duffle. So instead they sit in silence until they pull up to Chen's Noodle House. He can tell that Alphonse is curious about why they're there, but he doesn't ask.

Dareth tells him to wait, that it won't take long, and heads in.

"Back so soon?" Skylor seems surprised. "I figured it'd take you longer to get a hold of the ninja."

"I haven't yet." He glances back out the door, where the man is playing with the radio in his car, probably. "Listen, Skylor, you're a good judge of people."

"Did you want me to see if that friend of yours is trustworthy?" She gives him a knowing look.

Sometimes her ability to do that was scary.

"Yeah… If it isn't too much to ask."

"It's fine; just let me go clock out." She heads to the back, leaving Dareth to wait impatiently by the door. When she does arrive she pats him on the shoulder and says. "If I say that I want to get something to eat, then he doesn't pass. If I say I'm looking forward to seeing the ninja, then he passed."

"Right." He repeats her words in his head a few times as he follows her out the door. Alphonse watches them approach, until his gaze starts to go cross eyed as they get close. He pushes up his glasses fruitlessly one more time.

Skylor slips into the back seat behind the driver and introduces herself to Alphonse, who responds in kind. Dareth, figuring Skylor just wants him to keep driving until she's made her decision, starts to plot out a long route with as few overlapping roads as possible in his head.

"So, Alphonse-"

"Al. Uh, everyone just calls me Al."

"Okay. So, Al, what kind of job do you have?"

"I'm… kind of between jobs right now."

"I'm sorry to hear that." There's a brief silence wherein Alphonse shifts uneasily. "Do you have any hobbies?"

"Uh… I guess? I mean, I, uh, I research magic and old rituals."

"That's an… unusual hobby." More silence. "What got you into that?"

"I used to find magic fascinating."

"Used to?"

"It's… a long story. I'd rather not talk about it."

"Alright." Skylor seemed to consider her words for a moment. "Do you have anyone special in your life?"

"…no."

Dareth tried to keep himself from sighing. This guy was going to fail for sure. He should probably just save them both the trouble and pull into the next restaurant he saw.

"I can't wait to see the ninja."

What? She couldn't seriously approve of this guy. Sure, he'd let the guy into his car, but…

 _Skylor wouldn't just arbitrarily trust people, right?_

He'd have to trust her. That was why he'd brought Alphonse to her in the first place, so she could tell him whether or not he'd messed up. He changes course for his office while Alphonse starts asking Skylor how she knows the ninja. Well, this was what the ninja got for not keeping him in the loop.

* * *

"Is it true?" Viperae watches the snake before him jump in surprise. He turns, looks at the person before him with caution.

"You… you aren't Jay, are you?" The snake rasps with his damaged voice.

"No, I'm not." He hums, although his smile is absent. "Do you know who I am?"

"Why would I know that?"

"Oh, Pythor…" He sighs. "I know I look different than the last time you saw me, but we spent so much time together that I thought you'd know."

"Y-You're supposed to be dead." As realization dawns on the haughty snake, so too does fear.

"So are you." He chuckles. "But that isn't important right now. Right now I want to know where your allegiance lies. Have you truly turned over a new leaf? Have you forsaken me?"

"Of course I haven't…" He laughs nervously. "I was just laying low until you returned."

"How nice." He says airily. "Lies are often so very nice."

"I-I'm not-!"

"It's okay." He assures the other with a chuckle. "You served me well in the past. Your mistake only happened in my absence. From now, though, I expect your full devotion…"

"Thank you!" The snake falls down to prostrate itself before Viperae. "I won't make that mistake again, I promise."

"Good~." He hums a tuneless melody, beckoning the snake to follow after him. He was almost ready, there was just one more person he needed to visit.

End chapter twenty three


	25. Chapter 24

Zane felt a little bad about not telling the others about his impending death. He felt bad, but they had enough worries as it was at the moment. Zane wasn't sure how much time he had left, but if he lived long enough to see this through to the end he'd tell them, and if he didn't… well, he ensured that at least one person knew what happened and could help give his brothers closure.

 _I hope the news did not leave my brother too distressed._ Zane wasn't sure what Echo thought of the concept of death. He didn't seem to be all that saddened by their father's passing, but then again, the man had left Echo alone at the lighthouse without a second thought. He'd never even mentioned the other nindroid to Zane…

"Brother?" Echo questioned softly, brining Zane out of his musings.

"Yes, brother?" Zane looked up from the mark he was supposed to be translating to the bronze nindroid.

The other hesitates for a moment, then pulls out something cloth covered and hands it to the master of ice.

"I know you didn't want the others to know, but I told Ronin." Echo motions towards the item he'd given the other. "I asked him for help, and he already found one of the pieces."

Glancing down at the item, Zane carefully unwraps it, revealing the soft cyan glow that was so familiar to him. He feels a pull in his chest, as if it can feel a piece of itself nearby.

"Thank you, Echo." Zane says gratefully, carefully wrapping the piece back up. "Could I get your assistance in replacing it?"

Zane isn't sure if just physical closeness will be enough to fix it, but right now he feels like this is the best course of action.

"Of course." Echo seems relieved. Had he worried about Zane being mad at him? "What do I have to do?"

"First, we'll need a few tools." Zane stands up and motions for the bronze nindroid to follow him.

 _I am sure that, if he were here, he would be fine with me using his tools._ Despite his thoughts, Zane hesitates for a moment in the doorway of Jay's lab. It had always been organized chaos to Zane, but Jay preferred it that way, always saying that he knew where everything was despite the numerous times that Zane had walked in on him searching for one part or another. Now it was all covered in a fine layer of dust…

"Brother?" Echo asks after a moment.

"Come on," Zane shakes himself free of his thoughts and steps into the room, motioning for Echo to enter as well. "we should get started."

* * *

Jay enters the next reel and finds himself looking down at his arms in wonder. The purple-black bruises were fading to a greyish hue at the edges.

"You're up already?" He looks up at the sound of his superior's voice. The man steps further into the room and quickly makes his way over. "How are you feeling? Any lingering pain?"

"No I… I feel fine." He felt great, actually. Better than he had in a long time. He never realized just how tired he always was until now.

"Are you sure? It should take at least seventy two hours for the dark fluid to fully leave your system… or, at least, that's what I've estimated."

"I told you, I'm fine." He gives his superior a small smile. "You're 'cure' worked."

"Y-yeah… well, I told you I never break a promise." The man appears taken aback, but covers it up quickly with his usual confidant smile. "Why don't you sit down, though? I need to take some samples to see how well the cure is working."

He turns to do as his superior asks and finds himself stumbling out of the memory.

* * *

Alphonse fiddles nervously with the cup of tea he'd been given. Dareth had promised that he was going to call the ninja, but that it might take some time due to them needing to talk about some business matters. That had been two hours ago. Alphonse was seriously reconsidering how useful this man actually was in finding the ninja.

 _I should have tried harder to get that other guy to introduce me._

"Do you think it'll take much longer?" He asks Skylor. She claimed to know the ninja personally, as well, saying that they met during the events that led up to the Anacondrai invasion.

"I'm not sure." She carefully sets her own cup aside, gets up, and heads for the door to Dareth's office. "I'll ask."

She doesn't bother knocking, she just walks right in.

Once she's gone all Alphonse has is his thoughts. Well, he had tea, but too soon it'd be gone, the heat radiating from the porcelain gone cold (like a tiny body, unresponsive in his arms). The cup hits the desk with more force then intended, causing a loud clack to ring out (such a loud explosion, his ears were left ringing).

Alphonse winces, glancing over at the door the two had disappeared behind. He had to keep it together, he couldn't have a breakdown now, here, when he was so close to… to…. Fixing? No, that word wasn't right. Fixing meant breaking.

 _Remember what you were told._ Alphonse tells himself. _Deep breaths, count down from ten…_

He gets to four when the door slams open, causing him to jump and go rigid in his seat. His heart pounds in his ears and he does his best to plaster on a smile and force an awkward laugh.

"Next time warn a guy before you enter a room so dramatically."

"Sorry about that." Skylor apologizes on Dareth's behalf and gives Alphonse a worried look. "Are you feeling alright? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine." The words are so practiced he doesn't even have to think about them before they're out of his mouth. "Did you contact the ninja?"

"Yes I did!" Dareth says proudly, cutting off whatever it was Skylor was about to say. "They expect _us_ to go meet _them_ , of course, but what stars don't have demands?"

"What are we waiting for?" He tries to sound excited, but it comes out more reserved than he'd intended.

Dareth doesn't seem to care, as he leads the way to his car. Alphonse does his best to swallow his anxiety about what he knows is to come.

 _They'll all know what I've done soon enough…_

* * *

Cole glared down at the recipe book on the counter. Cooking was never Cole's forte, but becoming a ghost had made it a little bit more complicated. Whenever a recipe called for water he'd have to remember to be even more cautious not to spill it or get any on him. He didn't want to have to call in one of the other's because he'd accidentally knocked the cup over, or deal with a stinging hand because he hadn't properly centered the cup under the faucet.

Still, this was one of the few chores he'd insisted that he didn't need to drop because of his status as a ghost. Not that he minded being excluded from having to wash dishes or mop the floor, but it just… He wanted to keep his routine as normal as possible outside of the mandatory changes that had to happen.

"Cole?" Nya calls from the doorway. "Dareth's going to be joining us for dinner. Apparently he met someone who has some important information, although he wouldn't say what, and for that reason he'll be bringing along two other people."

"Oh, uh, alright." The master of earth glances down at the recipe book. "I'll make sure to make enough for everyone, then."

She nods then leaves to, presumably, tell the other's the news.

Cole waits a moment in case she or someone else comes in, and then sighs. Figuring out the measurements for three extra servings wasn't going to be fun.

 _Maybe I'll ask Zane?_ The nindroid was the best cook, so no doubt he'd know the exact amount that Cole would have to add of everything. _But if I ask him for help, then the others would just assume the food is good_ _ **because**_ _he helped._

No, he'd figure it out himself. He'd been getting better, after all, so how hard could it really be?

* * *

Kai watched Lloyd pace back and forth from his perch on the railing of the ship. It had taken forever to convince the green ninja to leave the hospital, and he'd only agreed to leave on the condition that they call him as soon as his dad was awake. Kai understood how the other was feeling. Even with the doctors reassurances that Sensei Garmadon would be fine, until he woke up it still felt like there was a possibility of something going wrong.

"Hey." The master of fire calls out, catching the other's attention, and slipping off the railing. "Wanna spar?"

There wasn't much Kai could do to help, but at least sparring felt both productive and would help get the other's mind off of his dad for a bit. Or he hoped it would, at least.

"…Sure." Lloyd says after a moment of hesitation. "With or without weapons?"

"How aboooout…" Kai pauses, thinking it over. If they spar with weapons, even if they just used the bamboo ones, then they'd have to put on the protective gear. The master of fire didn't feel like fixing his hair after the helmet messed it up. "Without weapons?"

"Alright."

They both move towards the center of the deck, bow to each other, and then get into a fighting stance.

* * *

"Hellooooo?!" Dareth calls up at the ship. Skylor isn't sure why he expects the ninja to hear him up on the ship when they're down on the ground. "Don't they know anything about greeting guests?"

Skylor does her best not to roll her eyes at Dareth's antics. He was really a nice guy, and a loyal friend (which the ninja took for granted most of the time), but she wished he wouldn't put on airs all the time like this.

"How do they even get up there?" She hears Alphonse question softly, studying the floating ship with a keen gaze. While it sounded like he was questioning how the ninja got onto the ship in the first place, she got the feeling he was more curious about the ship itself.

"Why don't I go up and tell them we're here?" Skylor offers, heading over to the nearby building.

"That would be lovely, thanks." Dareth gives her one of his usual over the top smiles.

"Don't mention it." She assures him coolly.

It isn't hard to scale the building and jump onto the deck. When she lands, it immediately catches the attention of the two sparring ninja.

"Skylor?" Kai blurts out, then quickly tries to fix his clothes subtly. "Uh, Nya didn't say you were one of Dareth's guests…?"

"Dareth forgot to mention it on the phone." She shrugs. "Speaking of, Dareth and Alphonse are waiting for you to let them up on the ship."

"I'll go lower the anchor." Lloyd says, giving Kai a knowing look before hurrying off.

There's a moment of silence before Kai clears his throat and tries to casually ask.

"So, how've things with the restaurants been going?"

"Good. We've managed to expand even farther than before, there's even been talk about opening up a new branch in Metalonia."

"That's great."

"And you?"

"What?"

"What have you been doing?" Although she knew, partly through what she saw on TV and partly from Dareth, she found it best to hear thing from as close to the source as possible if you wanted accurate information.

"Oh, well, you know… Saved the world a few times, became a superstar… the usual."

She can't help the little bit of laughter that comes out. Kai's face gains a bit of color and he looks like he wants to say more, but Dareth rolls onto the deck and cuts their conversation short.

"Whew… You guys really need, like, an elevator." Dareth says while slowly climbing to his feet.

Alphonse carefully climbs over the railing after the honorary ninja, and checks to make sure his duffle bag is secure before he turns to face them. He adjusts his glasses up when his eyes land on Kai. When he recognizes the red ninja his face quickly shows relief before he turns serious.

"You're… Kai, right?" Alphonse strides forward determinedly until he's standing before the red ninja, and holds out his hand. "I'm Alphonse Walker, Jay's uncle. It's nice to meet you."

"Uh…" Kai looks him up and down, obviously judging him harshly, and ignoring the outstretched hand. "Yeah, nice to meet you."

"You've all arrived early." Sensei Wu's voice says from the doorway leading down into the ship. "I'm afraid dinner won't be ready for a while yet. In the meantime can I interest you in some tea?"

"At least someone here knows how to treat a guest." Dareth says while they all head into the ship.

"I'll make sure to give my students a reminder." Sensei Wu promises.

"Uh, if you don't mind, I was hoping we could get started as soon as possible?" Alphonse grips the strap of his duffle nervously. "We have a lot to go over…"

"Of course, of course. Kai, go get the other's while I attend to our guests."

"Yes, Sensei." Kai says unenthusiastically, splitting off from the group in order to do as he's told.

Sensei Wu leads them to the dining room and brings out a tray with a tea pot and cups. While he's passing out the tea, Alphonse quickly sets his duffle on the table, opened it up, and begins to pull out loose papers and books. He had to hold his glasses up to check them before he set each item aside, and each time he let go of his glasses they slid back down his nose.

Skylor had to admit it was interesting to watch the man work, so absorbed in what he was doing, as it was the closest he'd come to being relaxed as she'd seen him. Skylor had a talent for reading people. It was a skill she'd inherited from her father, one that she hadn't been proud of, at first, seeing how her father used it. But once she lost her other powers, once she started interacting more with her customers, she began to see the more positive side to it. She was good at reading people, understanding how they felt and what kind of person they were deep down.

Alphonse was a good but troubled man. He didn't have any ill will in his soul, only a deep regret and sorrow. She couldn't deny that she was curious about why that was, and if she could help, so she'd deliberately set things up so that Dareth would be forced to bring her along to their meeting with the ninja.

"Geez, leave for a minute and suddenly it's like some conspiracy theorists took over." Kai snorts.

One by one the ninja all show up, along with a couple extras that Skylor didn't recognize. One of them looked like Zane, while the other looked much more shady. There are some quick introductions, and once those are over Cole cuts right to the point.

"You've got some info that'll help us?"

"I think so, yes." Alphonse nods, although he doesn't look certain. "It… well, where do I start? What do you know about soul stone?"

There's a brief pause, then Zane explains everything they know about it.

"Good, that's a start…" Alphonse shuffles through his papers, before picking one up from the pile. "Did you know there was one stone that was shattered, but never faded or crumbled away?" He hands the paper to the person nearest to him. "It was said to belong to an immortal being, the soul stone, and there were many rituals involved with the shards that were meant to imbue the individual with that immortality."

"Ok, this is interesting and all, but in what way does this have to do with anything?" The master of fire scoffs.

"You think whoever's possessing Jay is interested in these shards?" Lloyd asks, looking over the paper with a worried gaze.

"I'm getting there, and, no that… that would be simpler." Taking a deep breath, Alphonse shifts through his pile for another paper. "I did some research into the rituals, as magic and the like had always fascinated me, and I found out many interesting things… The rituals did work, in a sense, but not entirely. How they worked, well, have you ever heard of something called quantum entanglement?"

He glances around the table, getting blank looks from most of the people.

"Okay, well, it's when two objects become… connected. They can change each other, like causing their atoms to spin in the same direction when they normally wouldn't. It's… a very complicated subject, so, I won't go into all the details." Handing the paper he was holding to the next nearest person, he continues. "The rituals essentially caused the shards to become entangled with the subject's soul. I'm sure you've heard of one of the creatures that the ritual was used on, the Great Devourer."

"Wait." Cole stops him. "You're saying that the ritual _caused_ the Devourer? To be the Devourer, I mean, like, endlessly eating and growing?"

"Something like that does not come into existence naturally." Sensei Wu says sagely.

"Yes, well, there was another one, as well. I believed it called itself the Overlord? That one was interesting, as it seemed able to create a form for itself even when it was incomplete…"

"The Overlord, too?" Lloyd shakes his head in disbelief. "Who or what else have we fought that's had one of those shards?"

"Those are the only two I know of for sure…" He looks down at the papers. "There is one more I know of who has a shard, but before I tell you, I want you to know that I had no choice."

"You used the ritual?" Skylor easily surmised.

"I… he was dead. Not dying, but dead. Nine days before his fifth birthday." His hands clenched, and his eyes glossed over. "My brother and his wife had already lost one child, and it nearly destroyed them; how could I let them lose another? How could I stand there and do nothing while my Nephew died before he'd even had a chance to live? A soul doesn't immediately cross over once a person dies. There was a chance, a chance to help them, to save him… so I took the shard I'd found and used it. To tie his soul back to his body, to bring him back from death."

There's a chilling silence in the room, no one is sure what to say, but it's Alphonse's next words that cut through the atmosphere like a knife.

"Soul shards are drawn together. Each time you've destroyed another barer of a shard, I have no doubt they've been attracted to the shard in Jay."

"He didn't choose…" Cole mumbles.

"Cole?" Nya questions, sounding perturbed.

"When I talked to Viperae, he said he didn't choose to possess Jay." Cole bit his lip. "What… what if he really can't leave Jay's body? What if we can't ever get Jay back?"

"About that." Alphonse looks at him sadly. "There is a way to detangle their souls."

"Why didn't you start with that?!" Kai demands.

"Because it would mean his death." Alphonse says sullenly. "I've looked into it, how to reverse it, just in case it ended up hurting my Nephew in some way… but everything I've found ends up the same. His time already came and went, the only thing keeping him alive is the immortal's soul feeding his own… There's no way to separate them without killing him."

"Y-you're wrong." Lloyd says softly at first, but his voice gradually rises with each word. "We'll find a way to save Jay and get rid of that monster. You might not be able to find a solution, but we always find a way!"

"That's why I brought this." Alphonse gestures to the table. "This is my life's work; all the research I've done on the topic. I hope it helps you all somehow."

With that the man turns and begins to walk away.

"Wait!" Cole calls. "You're just going to leave?"

"I'm sorry." The man laughs bitterly. "I don't have much time."

The ninja are silent as the man leaves.

"I'm going to get started on this." Zane carefully begins gathering the papers and books up back in the duffle bag.

"Did you ever finish the mark you were working on before?" Ronin asks.

"I did."

"What was it?" Nya asks.

"It was… a melody, I think."

"What?"

Seeing this as private ninja business, Skylor carefully excuses herself and goes after Alphonse. She finds him on the deck, looking up at the sky.

"Al." She calls softly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He doesn't look away from the sky. "I'm as fine as anyone who's cursed their Nephew can be."

"You wanted to help Jay." She says gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He wouldn't be here if you hadn't of done what you did."

"…I didn't mention it before, but, did you know what happened to the people who used the ritual?" He doesn't wait for her to answer. "Their souls were devoured. It consumed them, corrupted them from the inside out. I knew that before I did what I did, yet I still did it."

"Al… I'm sure Jay would thank you if he could." That got the man to look at her, his expression one of pure confusion. "If he'd died then, he'd never have known his friends, and he'd never have saved so many lives. I'm sure he'd find that worth any price."

Alphonse chuckles bitterly.

"It's funny… Ed always told me to keep my voodoo stuff away from his home, but I'd just gotten the shard and I was obsessed with studying it." He pulls a necklace out of his shirt. "In fact, I was searching for immortality for myself. I know better now, living without the people you care for is torture." He holds it out to her. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course."

"I died that day, too."

* * *

It's years of honed instinct that wakes up Garmadon in the middle of the night. His senses on high alert, he quickly takes in his surroundings. There was the steady beeping of a heart monitor, the soft breaths of whoever woke him, along with the rustle of clothing. The person was mostly hidden in shadow.

"Oh~, did I wake you?" It's Jay's voice, the shadowy figure of the boy moving a little closer. Garmadon relaxes a bit at the realization that it was just one of his brother's students.

"It's alright." He assures the boy. "What are you doing here at this late hour?"

"I came here to thank you." The boy says warmly, his voice rather lighthearted. "And to make you an offer."

He steps closer, into the dim moonlight that's coming in through the window. Garmadon is shocked into silence for a moment. The other isn't wearing his normal blue gi, or any new variant his brother could have decided to go with, but an outfit of mostly black (which explains how he was able to blend into the shadows so well) that had purple highlights. The whole thing brought out his eyes, which were a vivid shade of purple…

"The Overlord?" He breaths out, stunned. His son had defeated the Overlord, Zane had made the ultimate sacrifice in order to ensure this creature would never blight another soul. Yet now here it was, possessing Jay.

"Aw, you recognize me?" He sounds flattered, his smile widening as he holds a hand over his heart. "You know, I think you're the first person to figure it out on your own."

"Why are you here?" Garmadon demands.

"I told you that already." It chuckles, but there's a knowing glint to its eyes. It knew what he was asking and was deliberately playing dumb.

"Say your piece, then." Garmadon keeps his face and tone neutral. In his weakened state, with no way to contact his brother or any of his brother's students, it would be best not to antagonize this creature.

"You've helped me greatly. Maybe more so than any single person I've had under my command." He pauses, likely to see what reaction his words would illicit from the sensei. He seemed to pout a little when Garmadon showed no reaction. "Because of that, I'd like to offer you a deal. You agree to work with me, and not only will I make sure you're in tip top shape, but I promise no harm will come to your heir."

"My… you mean my son, Lloyd?"

"Yes, your heir, the dragon pup." Garmadon nearly raises an eyebrow at the term 'dragon pup', but ignores it, and instead asks.

"You don't want to steal my son's golden powers?"

"Ah, you see, that was due to the Overlord being… incomplete, so to speak." The creature says vaguely. "I promise you, that is no longer a problem."

"And if my son fights you, would you be able to promise me he wouldn't be hurt?" Garmadon had no intention of accepting the offer, but there was a chance of the other revealing more than it meant to if he kept it talking long enough.

"I've already taken that into consideration." There's an almost sinister edge to his smile. "The dragon pup's hands are tied. I promise you, Jun, you heir won't come to any harm from my hands from this point onwards."

Several things about what the other had just said rubbed Garmadon the wrong way, but as much as the other's wanton use of his first name bothered him, he was more worried about whatever it was that the other had done to his son.

"And just why are my son's hands tied?" He was seething, and it certainly showed in his tone.

"I did the most humane thing I could." The creature is pouting again. It lifts its hand, showing the mark burned into its skin (burned into Jay's skin, as the poor boy would have to live with it when this was over). "I made it so he couldn't use his powers unless he wanted to die. A human's self-preservation trumps all else, after all."

"You…" He grips the bedsheets in clenched fists, does his best to contain the part of him that wants to destroy this thing for even touching his son, let alone using such dark magic on him. "I want you to get out of my sight."

"I take it that's a no, then?" The other asks rhetorically, appearing to be disappointed. "Well, you're a very smart man. When it becomes apparent that I am your _only_ option, know that my offer still stands."

With that he leaves. Garmadon waits a good ten minutes, just to be sure that the other will be long gone, and then pages the nurses. He needed to see his son.

End chapter twenty four


	26. Chapter 25

The Star farer theme song cuts through Lloyd's dreams, instantly waking him up. The green ninja, graceful as always, ends up flailing his way out of bed and onto the floor in his alarmed state. It takes a full second for his mind to realize why he's hearing the song (he'd set it as his ringtone on his cellphone), another to detangle himself from the blankets that he'd dragged off the bed with him, and hastily answer his phone.

"Hello?" He says a little breathlessly.

"This is the Magnolia hospital calling, is this Lloyd Garmadon?"

"Yes!" Lloyd holds his breath, feeling anxious but hopeful about the call. "Is my dad okay?"

"Your father is fine." The woman says reassuringly. "In fact he's been asking to see you."

"I'll be right there!" Lloyd doesn't waste any time, or let the woman say anything else, he just quickly ends the call and hurries to leave.

"Lloyd!" Kai calls, his voice barely stopping the other. "What's up and where are you going in your sleeper?"

Looking down at himself Lloyd realizes that Kai was right, he was still in his sleeper. Walking back to the dressers he quickly explains the call.

"You go on ahead, I'll go tell the others and we'll meet you there." Kai says with determination. Lloyd gives him a grateful nod, quickly changes using spinjitzu, and hurries off.

It doesn't take long before he's at the hospital, they hadn't parked too far away, after all, and being able to fly over everything on an energy dragon certainly cuts down on travel time. He almost skips the front desk, but he knows they'll want him to sign in, and thankfully the woman behind the counter is the one who called him and already had the sign in sheet ready for him. He can barely contain himself from running down the halls to his dad's room, only hesitating a fraction of a second at the door, before he quickly steps in.

The lights are on and his dad is sitting up in the bed, supported by pillows, still looking worse for wear, but appearing much more like his usual collected self.

"Dad!" Lloyd calls happily, crossing the room and quickly pulling his father into a tight hug. Warm arms hug him back and for a moment he thinks he might be dreaming. He'd had dreams like this before, almost his whole life. Back in the orphanage it was his father telling him how proud he was of Lloyd's villainous prowess, and after that it had been… mixed. Sometimes in his dream his dad was still a villain, other times it was the man he knew today, but the dream had never quite disappeared.

 _Don't let this be a dream._ Lloyd thinks, hugging his dad a little tighter.

"Lloyd, it's alright. I'm fine." His dad assures him with a soothing voice. Lloyd takes another moment before letting go, almost immediately feeling colder when he does. For a moment there's a peaceful silence, his dad just looking him over, then his face darkens and he asks. "Are you alright?"

"Me?" Lloyd can't help but be confused by the question. His dad's the one in the hospital right now and he's worried about him? "I'm fine, Dad."

His father didn't look convinced.

"Let me see your hand." His father holds out his own hand, and Lloyd can't help but notice that his father's fingers are trembling a bit. He isn't sure what to make of it, whether his dad is still feeling weak or…

 _Just how does he know about the mark?_ It itches on his palm, and the master of energy feels himself break out in a cold sweat.

"How…?" He doesn't want his suspicions to be true. "Who told you about it?"

"I had an uninvited guest, earlier." His dad's face darkens even further, anger appearing in the depths of the man's eyes for a moment as he seems to think back. When he looks at Lloyd again the anger is gone, leaving only concern in its place. "He claimed he made a deal with you; he even showed me a mark burned into his hand."

"Viperae?" Lloyd looks down at the mark on his own hand, his stomach twisting uncomfortably at the thought of his dad in his current state alone with that monster. Despite how enamored with his father the other had seemed, the green ninja hadn't thought about this happening.

 _But of course he'd come for my dad._ Lloyd curses his shortsightedness. _He'd been trying to gain more allies, so why wouldn't he try to recruit someone who he has so much respect for?_

"Knock, knock." Kai calls out from the doorway. "Hope we aren't interrupting anything."

"No, my son was just about to explain to me what has been happening recently." His dad answers before he has a chance to say anything. He meets his dad's determined gaze and knows that his dad won't rest until he's gotten all of the info he wanted.

"Right." He agrees. "But it's a long story-"

"You all should make yourselves comfortable, then."

Darn. His dad could read him like a book. Looks like there was no putting it off. Settling in on the bed while the rest of the ninja found a place to stay comfortably, he starts from the beginning.

* * *

Zane feels a little bad about mostly tuning out the conversation. Normally he'd do his best to pay attention and add in supplemental details that the others forgot, but at the moment there was just too much to sort through in his head.

First off, shortly after Echo had placed the other shard back in his chest, he'd had another vision. It had worried Echo, of course, but Zane had done his best to placate the younger nindroid. The vision itself had been… interesting.

 _"So, we've all been blessed by a dragon." It's a statement that the guard makes. "I suppose that would explain our unusual abilities."_

 _There's a brief silence, then the guard shakes his head and asks._

" _But, I can't help but wonder, just how did you all manage such a feat?" He gains a wry smile as he sheepishly continues. "I only got my blessing because I disobeyed orders and let the dragon we were supposed to kill go. I mean, it was wounded at the time, not by our hands I should mention, a rock had managed to pin one of its wings and it promised not to come back… How could I say no? But I doubt things played out that way for you guys, since each dragon is different."_

" _Well." The blacksmith starts off, already puffing out his chest in a show of pride in his actions. "I actually convinced my dragon to help me create the strongest sword in the world!"_

" _You did what?" The guard shakes his head in confusion. "Why did it not kill you?"_

" _It said something about being flattered by the request, I think." The blacksmith shrugs. "Although I had to keep coming back for a week to ask before it agreed, and only with the stipulation that I named the sword after it."_

 _The blacksmith pulls out his blade, the infamous 'dragon sword of fire', and holds it aloft with pride. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices the thief rolling his eyes. They'd all seen the sword before, as the blacksmith took any opportunity to show it off._

" _What about you?" The guard turns to him. "How does a hunter earn a dragon's respect?"_

 _He frowns a little at the other's wording. The guard often meant well, but he had a way of showing his upbringing unintentionally in the way he spoke._

" _I wanted to study it, so I tracked it for five months through the harshest of climates. Eventually it confronted me, saying that it was impressed with my skill and dedication."_

" _What, that's it?" The blacksmith says disappointedly._

" _Not everyone is as suicidal as to confront a dragon directly." The thief scoffs._

" _Says the person who probably stole from a_ _ **dragon**_ _of all things!" The blacksmith whirls to face the other. "Dragons are notorious for being protective of what they own, only someone with a death wish would try and steal from a dragon!"_

" _I never said I stole from it."_

" _Then what did you do?" The guard asks, sounding much calmer than the blacksmith, but also appearing a little skeptical. There had been a brief discussion about whether or not taking the golden weapons that the dragons had given them, or helped forge, in the blacksmith's case, could leave them powerless while the wielder would get what they'd been given; it had caused the others to doubt that the thief had even earned his power in the first place._

" _Stealing something and trying to steal something are two entirely different things." The thief looks back out the window, apparently not intending to say any more than that._

" _I must admit, I am curious as to how that turned out." He can't help but ask. Unlike the others he didn't think that the thief stole his golden weapon to gain his powers. In fact, the thief had been hunted relentlessly because of it, which was the only reason they'd managed to get him to agree to stay with them in the first place. "The dragon must have caught you, otherwise you wouldn't have been given the blessing."_

" _A blessing…" The thief mutters before turning to look at him. "Do you know what a thief's best asset is?"_

" _They're ability to be stealthy?"_

" _No. Sure, the older thieves have been around long enough to know how to avoid detection, but that isn't their biggest asset." The thief glances over at the other two, the mutual distaste clear in all of their eyes, even if the guard tries to be subtle. "A thief's biggest asset is their ability to get away. It doesn't matter how good you are, luck and circumstance can always conspire against you. The best thieves know how to run when they've been caught."_

" _You tried to outrun a dragon?" The blacksmith says, appearing shocked._

" _Says the man who pestered a dragon into helping him." The thief challenges._

" _So it was impressed by how fast you are." He interrupts, not wanting another fight to break out, or for the thief to decide he was better off on his own after all. "I've heard even the strongest men have trouble impressing a dragon, so it must have been in impressive show indeed."_

 _The thief turns back to the window, reaching up and tugging his hood down at the same time. If he didn't know any better, he'd think that he'd embarrassed the other…_

And that was when it had ended, thankfully just before his brother was going to run off and get the others for help. Jay's entire lab was covered in a thin layer of ice and snow. Zane hoped that it was only due to the parts fusing back together that the loss of control had happened, but he knew better.

His life force was still leaking out, and at what appeared to be an alarming rate, at that.

Still, there was also the current crisis to think about. What Alphonse had told them about Jay…

 _His soul is fused to the very enemy we have to stop._ And stopping him could very well end the blue ninja's life. Zane was never one to dream of impossible things. He'd decide to go with the lower odds, yes, but never something entirely impossible… yet here he was hoping that Lloyd was right. They'd find a way to not only stop Viperae, but to keep Jay as well.

Zane also couldn't help but wonder about the immortal soul, and why that soul stone alone could survive being shattered when none other could. What made that stone different from his? Could he use whatever secret it held to keep himself alive?

He hadn't even gone to bed after dinner that night, he'd gone right to researching. Alphonse had found quite a bit of info, there was so much of it that Zane wasn't even sure where to begin. And then there was the mark on Lloyd's hand, too. He hadn't gotten to explain to the others that what he'd found had been a series of letters that formed a numerical pattern. At first he'd thought it was some kind of coded message, but eventually he'd realized that it was something like a melody.

The sound he'd assembled from it had been discordant, not the beautiful harmony he'd expected, but it had left the air around him feeling heavier, somehow.

He wasn't sure if that had anything to do with Viperae's immortal soul. He decided that he wanted to contact Alphonse, ask the other if there was any way he could manage the time to work with him on his findings so they could hopefully get through this quicker. When he'd looked him up, however, he was shocked by what he'd found.

Alphonse Walker's death certificate.

Zane wasn't sure what to make of it. What that meant. Was the man they met an imposter? But he seemed far too close to the tragedy, too affected by it, for that to be the case. Had he faked his death? But he'd found articles that had talked about the accident that had killed a man and put a small child in a coma that matched up with the timeline Alphonse had given them for the events. And Zane just couldn't see the man assuming that he'd be cast out of his brother's and nephew's life to the point where it'd be just as well to fake his death.

No… there was something going on there that he needed to look into, but he hadn't had the time to figure it out. So he'd been forced to set aside those questions in order to focus on what had happened and how they could help Jay.

And then Kai had barged in and said Sensei Garmadon was up and they were all going to the hospital.

* * *

Cole felt just a little bit jittery. Too much coffee tended to do that, and he'd downed about… wait, he lost count at six. Well, he _stopped_ counting at six. Honestly if Kai hadn't barged into the kitchen when he did, demanding they all go see Sensei Wu at the hospital, he's sure he'd be putting on another pot of coffee right this moment.

It was bad to have so much of it, he knew, especially with how he preferred it, but he wanted the comfort of it at the moment.

His mind was racing, going over everything that had happened so far. He was grateful that Lloyd, Kai, Echo, and Nya were doing most of the explaining, because he'd probably be a jittery, scatterbrained mess.

 _When I asked when he'd possessed Jay, he'd said when he died._ Cole runs a hand through his hair, not missing the fact that his fingers are shaking just the tiniest bit. _I shouldn't have assumed he meant when Zane died._

If he hadn't of made that assumption, then maybe he'd of taken Cliff mentioning Jay being hospitalized when he was younger in a different light. Maybe they would have found Jay's uncle themselves, instead of the other way around, and maybe they'd be so much farther ahead right now.

Biting his lip, Cole had to stop himself from heading out to the cafeteria. They had (bad) coffee and food, both of which he didn't need but wanted right now, even if his stomach was starting to complain. Zane had already left, but with good reason, Cole was sure that the others wouldn't take a food break so lightly.

Keeping in a sigh, Cole tries to focus on the conversation instead.

"…And that's the gist of it." Nya finishes. "That's all we know right now."

Looks like he'd missed everything. Oops.

"I see." Sensei Garmadon says thoughtfully. "From my short meeting, I can already tell he acts differently than the Overlord did… but that is still a part of him. It's likely his goals will somewhat align with what the Overlord was after."

"So he wants to rule Ninjago?" Lloyd asks.

"There is a good chance that is the case." Sensei Wu agrees. "The only question is how does he plan to accomplish this?"

"The golden armor and realm crystal, right?" Cole pipes up, voice steadier than he'd thought it'd be, thankfully. "I mean, that's what he went after Cyrus for, so it makes sense."

"But he hasn't made another attempt to go after it." Nya shakes her head. "Wouldn't he have done that by now if that's what he was really after? He should have enough people after the prison break."

"Maybe he was just biding his time until he could make a pass at Sensei Garmadon?" Lloyd makes a face at his wording, and Cole has to clear his throat and tell himself to never trust his brain with only a few hours of sleep and probably ten cups of coffee in his system. "I mean, he's tried to recruit Ronin, and me; he made sure Lloyd couldn't interfere, and now he's tried to get Garmadon to join him. It certainly sounds like he's just been making sure all his ducks are in a row before he acts."

"That may be true." Nya says with a sigh that grates on his nerves unexpectedly. "But it did turn out that he was just setting us up. For all we know he just planned on using it as an excuse to gauge how strong we all were."

"Jerk sure seemed to be enjoying the battle." Kai scoffed, his ego still bruised from their overwhelming loss that day.

"Still, those items are just a little too valuable to assume he isn't interested at all." Lloyd pipes up. "I mean, they've caused us enough trouble in the wrong hands already."

"While I agree with you, Lloyd, Cole," Sensei Wu says. "I believe it would be best not to put our focus on the wrong thing."

"So what's the right thing, Uncle?" The green ninja asks.

"Finding a way to catch Viperae off guard." Sensei Wu looks over at Cole. "You managed to catch him unaware with your invisibility last time, but we cannot assume that will work again. Nor can we assume he will let you get close enough to try and possess him. You cannot beat him in a head to head battle, and there is no telling what he will do now, so your best option is to catch him off guard with whatever it is you plan to use to beat him."

"How are we going to do that?" Nya asks. "He's been two steps ahead of us this whole time."

"I have an idea." Sensei Garmadon says. "But you will still need a plan to deal with him, first."

"I'm sure Zane will find something." Cole says confidently. "What's the plan?"

"I will tell you when I am certain there are no prying eyes or ears, assuming you haven't figured the answer out yourself."

"You think someone at the hospital might be one of Viperae's new lackeys?" Cole can't help but look around for any signs of eavesdroppers.

"I'm not certain." Sensei Garmadon shakes his head. "But it is best to err on the side of caution."

"Ok, but we aren't sure when they'll ok you to leave." Lloyd says gently.

"I am not going to sit around in the hospital while some maniac threatens my family." His face turns dark as he says that and he moves to get up from the bed.

"Dad, no, you have to rest!" Lloyd pushes his dad back down.

"Brother, you should listen to your doctors." Sensei Wu gives the other a stern look, which only gets a stubborn look in return.

"I have been to hell and back, little brother, and though I may be old, this is not enough to slow me down." He turns to Lloyd, his gaze softening a bit, but still holding a determined edge. "I know you're worried about me, but I promise you I'm fine. And I'd feel much better if I was on the Bounty with you, rather than being trapped here worrying over what's happening."

"…Alright." Lloyd backs up, but quickly says. "But just wait until morning, at least? That way we can bring you some new clothes and sign you out properly."

It's with a warm chuckle that he pulls his son forward into a hug.

"Okay, I'll wait until morning, at least… but don't blame me if I leave here without waiting for you if you sleep in."

"I won't sleep in, I promise." Lloyd says, happily returning the hug.

"We should get going if we want to get any sleep ourselves." Sensei Wu says.

They all carefully file out the door, turning off the light and shutting it softly. It's as they're turning to head down the hall that they find Lloyd isn't following behind them.

"Lloyd?" Kai calls out questioningly, but Cole already understands.

After Viperae made an appearance, there wasn't any way he was leaving his dad's side. The rest of them would have to either wait it out here, with him, or return to the Bounty.

For Kai the decision was simple. He wouldn't let Lloyd stand guard over his father alone. For Echo the decision was simple, as he plans on going back to the ship to help his brother in any way he can. Nya doesn't give her reasoning for returning to the ship and Sensei Wu says that without sleep they wouldn't be able to fight at their full capacity. That just leaves Cole to make a decision.

 _I wasn't going to sleep anyway._ Not with, what, like twelve cups of coffee in his system? _And there's nothing I can do to help Zane._

So he stays.

* * *

As soon as he enters the next reel he feels the wind ruffle his hair. He's on top of a rather tall building in the city not too far (which means a two hour drive) from his parent's junk yard. The machine he'd been working on for the last few months is strapped to his back.

It's a glider. He'd made it because this is the closest a person could come to flying without a plane, and he wanted to make a more portable version than the ones that are out.

 _Check the measurements again._ A voice in his head keeps telling him. _If you fall from this height you'll die._

But he's checked them over and over. They're close enough. It'll be fine. This way everyone can blame it on a simple accident and no one has to feel guilt or blame someone else.

His heart is pounding in his chest.

"Sorry, Da, Ma… I'm going to have to break one of your rules." He says out loud, softly. This wouldn't work if he'd followed their rules, to never test an invention alone. Otherwise there'd be no one to get you to a hospital or help you out in case something went wrong.

 _No one's here to put on an act for._ That voice whispers. _Is it so ingrained now?_

Shaking his head, he takes a deep breath, grips the handles on his glider a little tighter, and jumps.

He isn't expecting a freak updraft to push him up and carry him just far enough that he crashes through a billboard and onto one of the lower roofs. He lays there dazed for a moment, then slowly sits up, feeling aches and pains already beginning to form.

 _You lived._ That voice whispers, and before he can really think much about it, a voice speaks up.

"Tea?" He looks over, the sight only adding to his confusion. An old man dressed in a white gi and a cone hat, offering him tea. "It will certainly help to sooth your nerves after a nasty crash like that."

His throat closes as his mind races. Does this man know? How much did he see? Why is he offering him tea? To keep from looking too crazy he takes some time to detangle himself from the mangled glider.

Getting up on shaking legs, he tries to offer the man an unconcerned smile.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm good. I should probably take this home and see if I can salvage it." He gestures at the mess of a glider behind him.

"I am no expert." The man says. "But I do not think there is any hope for that contraption."

Contraption? Geez, the man must be one of those anti-tech old types.

"Yeah, well, I'm a whiz at this kind of stuff, so…" His voice wobbles a bit towards the end, his head is throbbing with pain, and really the last thing he needs right now is a concussion.

"Jay Walker, please sit with me and have some tea." The man says mysteriously. "I have something to tell you that is of vast importance."

He freezes. How does this man know his name?

 _I entered plenty of competitions with my inventions._ He thinks to himself, because it'd make sense for the man to have heard his name from one of those… _But, wait, if he doesn't like machines, then why would he go to one of those?_

Curiosity gets the better of him and he finds himself gracelessly plopping down to sit across from the man and accepting a cup of tea. Thankfully he doesn't have to say anything for the man to begin.

"What if I told you that you could be a ninja?"

"A ninja?" He raises an eyebrow at the old man. "Uh, sorry, but I think you've got the wrong person."

"You are Jay Walker, aren't you?"

"I… I am." He says slowly, not sure if he wants this old guy to know who he is. "Who are you?"

"Oh, where are my manners? I am Sensei Wu." The man introduces himself, but doesn't hold out a hand or anything. "I am in charge of the monastery."

"Okay. So, why me?" And why on this roof? There's no way he could know that Jay was going to end up here. If it weren't for that updraft…

His heart is suddenly caught in his throat again, now that the adrenalin has finally worn off, just how close he was to… His chest starts to tighten with the rise of his anxiety, and he gulps down a big sip of scalding tea to try and take his mind off of it.

Ow. That was actually a lot hotter than he thought. Also, needs sugar.

"Because I know that, with the right training, you could do great things one day." He bites back a disbelieving snort at those words. "Now, I must warn you, the life of a ninja is not without its hazards. There-" _Hazards?_ He can't help but tune the old man out. _Like, break your hand on a board hazard, or fighting other, evil ninja that could potentially kill you, Hazards?_ "-will be required to travel to wherever the action may be-"

"Sure." He says suddenly, surprising even himself. "I-I mean, I'll have to tell my Mom and Dad…"

"Of course. I have prepared this letter for that." He pulls it out of whatever pockets that outfit has and hands it over. The wax seal even has the same symbol as the one he's wearing. "Please come to the monastery as soon as you can. My other student, Cole, will be there to greet you."

"What, you're not going to take me there yourself?" What if he got lost?

"I have one more person to speak to, and, unfortunately, he does not live anywhere near here." The old man stands up and picks up his tea pot. "I hope that you will get along with Cole Beckett until I arrive with the third student."

Now he can't help the snort of laughter that comes out.

"Cole Bucket?" He can't help but think himself a hypocrite, considering his own name, but at the moment he can't help it.

" _Beckett._ " The old man repeats, making sure he's heard clearly. "Anyway, I hope to see you at the monastery."

"R-right…" He nods.

Once the old man is gone, he can't help but look down at the letter in his hands.

 _Ma's never going to let me go._

Jay stumbles out of the memory, feeling a tad nostalgic and a tad sick. Flying up into the clouds to take a small break, he thinks back. He remembered that day. He remembered every terrible moment leading up to that day. He remembers the shock he felt when, after reading the letter, his parents both whole heartedly agreed to let him go.

 _Cole used to be so serious all the time back then._

Before Kai arrived to the little group, along with his sister, Cole was the unchallenged leader. Zane was the distant, but smart one, and Jay was the reckless one in the group. So many times he remembers Cole telling him to be more careful, that he was getting injured only because he wasn't focusing. He remembers every joke he told going right over Zane's head, yet he just kept making them, because he honestly looked cute when he was confused.

Back then none of them had powers, and they were a team, but they weren't really friends.

Not until Kai came along, that is. The fire ninja really is the heart of their team, in a way. He brought them together as friends, helped to challenge all of them to be better, and is always unwavering in what he thinks is right. Even if Jay was never as close a friend to Kai as any of the others (except for Zane, who seemed annoyed by and annoying to the red ninja frequently), he found he could respect the master of fire.

Of course it's impossible to think about Kai without thinking about his sister. Nya… It was painful to think about her, for so many different reasons. Even if Jay were to admit that maybe he fell into the spell as hard as he did because some part of him just wanted to be 'normal', to admit maybe they were both at least partially at fault on that front, but there wasn't any way to discount how she treated him when they were dating.

He'd never felt as worthless as he did when he was with her.

She'd cast him aside whenever something more promising came up, be it just something more interesting to do or someone who was somehow 'better' than him. She'd take, and she'd take, but any time he'd ask for something back he was selfish, or pushy, or clingy.

She knew he couldn't leave, and she abused that.

A part of him hates her for that. A part of him regrets that they've probably lost any chance at friendship, despite their common interest in building things (which was hard to find).

Jay wasn't sure how things would turn out, now that she was a full time member of the team. No, even if she weren't, Kai was still her brother. No matter what she'd likely be around.

Sighing, Jay forces himself to move on to Lloyd. The green ninja. He'd been such a bratty, pompous little kid, but he'd really stepped up in the end. Of course, maybe he'd been forced to grow up way faster than was good for him, both physically and mentally.

And then there were the Senseis. Wu and Garmadon. Jay never felt particularly close to either of them, but they were his mentors, even if Garmadon's time was cut short by being thrown into the cursed realm.

It was a shame, too, because he honestly seemed like a pretty nice guy when he wasn't trying to take over the world.

 _I miss them._ He thinks, pressing a hand to his chest. A small chill sinks into his fingers and he remembers the little snowflake there. Right. Now wasn't the time to be reminiscing. He could do that later. _I'm so close, I just need to find the last memory._

With that, he breaks the cloud coverage and heads for the next reel.

End chapter twenty five.

* * *

AN: So, officially, Cole's last name _is_ 'Bucket.' I thought that was kind of ridiculous, even if it was just for the pun, so I went with a name that sounded similar instead. Anyway, hope you've all enjoyed the story so far, because there's much more to come! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story so far. I try not to put too many author notes because I worry that it'll break the flow of the story too much, and I don't really respond to reviews, but I read every review I get and they all make me smile. ^u^

-Kit Brightside


	27. Chapter 26

Garmadon isn't surprised to see three ninja passed out in the hall when he steps out of his room. He had hoped his son would go back and actually get some sleep, but he supposes that this was better than him not sleeping at all. Plus it was nice to see that the other ninja were there to support him.

 _It's relieving to know my son wasn't alone when I was gone._ Garmadon knew he was not an immortal man, even if he lived longer than most. He was very fortunate to get so many chances. _I won't let this good fortune go to waste._

"Brother." He looks over when he sees Wu calling softly, the younger appearing down the hall with some clothes over his arm. He looks down at the sleeping ninja fondly, then gestures for the two of them to go back into the room. Once they're inside, he says. "The rest did not manage to wake up in time to join us."

"Are you going to make them do extra training?" He asks while taking the clothing from his brother, giving him a thankful nod.

"Considering recent events, no." His brother moves towards the exit, pausing long enough to say. "But if it starts to become a habit, I'll have to give them extra training _and_ chores."

Garmadon shakes his head fondly at his brother. While Garmadon wasn't a free spirited Sensei, he certainly wasn't as strict as his brother when it came to training. Then again, maybe he saw a bit of his son in all his students, which helped to soften his heart a bit when he interacted with them.

Quickly getting changed, he heads back into the hall and gently shakes his son awake. Lloyd reacts immediately, jumping up into a defensive position before stopping to look at who woke him.

"Uh." He blinks a few times, then relaxes his stance. "Good morning, Dad."

"Good morning, Son." He notices that the other two were woken by his son's actions, although they just appear to be stretching out their sore muscles and trying to wake themselves up properly. "And good morning, Cole, Kai."

"Good morning Sensei." They say in almost perfect unison. His brother had trained them well.

"It's time to go." He tells them, not wanting to spend another minute in this place. He'd had enough time in cold, lifeless spaces to last him five lifetimes.

The doctors and nurses were all very insistent on his staying, but eventually he convinced them that, whether they approved or not, he was leaving. They demanded one last checkup first, which he only allowed because of his son's insistence, and then they were finally able to return to the ship.

"Lloyd." He turns to his son once they're inside. "I believe we should tell your mother, Misako, what's going on."

"Oh, r-right!" Lloyd appears confused for a moment before a sheepish look crosses his face. Garmadon wasn't sure what that meant, even though he knew Lloyd's relationship with Misako wasn't as strong as it was with him. Did he not want to call her, or was there something else going on? "I'll get J-"

Lloyd freezes as he seems to realize what he's about to say, and then a look that seems to be a mixture of sadness and anger crosses his face.

"It's alright." He assures his son, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We're going to make things right again."

Lloyd meets his eyes and in a moment his uncertainty melts away. Nodding, he makes a b-line for the kitchen, where the smell of breakfast (late as it is) being made is wafting out.

"I'm going to ask Nya for some help with the long distance call."

Long distance? Misako must be away researching something or exploring.

It doesn't take long for Lloyd to return with the master of water in tow. Not long after that, they're in the bridge with Misako on the line.

"Hello, Lloyd." Misako's voice sounds warm.

"Hey, Mom." The word Mom sounds a little bit awkward from the green ninja. "You, uh, won't believe what's going on."

"What is it, dear?"

Lloyd hesitates, looking over at Garmadon, who turns to the screen (despite the fact that Misako can't see them) and speaks up.

"It's nice to hear your voice again, Misako." He hears a startled gasp from the other side.

"Garmadon?" She whispers. "How…? I thought you were gone forever."

He glances over at his son, who glances away, guilt written across his every movement.

"A lot has happened, apparently, in a very short span of time." They'd get to what Lloyd did eventually, but it'd be best to start from the beginning, otherwise the story might confuse her. "Do you have the time for a long call?"

"Of course." She still sounds shocked, and Garmadon wishes he could see her face. He wishes he could see her in person, to hug her, to kiss her, to assure her this was real, and that he was really back.

For now, though, all he had was her voice. That would have to be enough.

* * *

Misako wishes she had agreed to spend the extra for video chat, now. Her husband was back, alive, and with their son, and she couldn't see him. He sounded well, but he always had a way of controlling his voice that didn't necessarily extend to his face.

But they'd needed every penny if they wanted to make this a successful dig, which it was.

Now, as much as she wanted to hurry home and see her son and husband, she knew this new threat was much more important.

"I'm going to investigate the dark island for anything that could help." She tells them. If the Overlord was back, then she was certain that, as the place with the most connections to the vile thing, it would be where they'd find the answers they were looking for.

"Misako-" She knows that tone, so she doesn't let her husband finish.

"I'm not going alone, I promise." Glancing over her shoulder at the crew she'd been working with, she smiles, knowing they'd be up for another adventure. "I've found some other archaeologists and explorers who I trust to work with."

"Just be careful, alright, Mom?" Lloyd chimes in. "The dark island isn't anything to sneeze at."

"Yes, Misako, there are many nasty creatures there." Garmadon agrees. "Do not take any unnecessary risks."

"I promise, you two." She does her best to sound comforting. "I've got too much waiting for me at home to risk my life for some silly little treasure now."

"I love you." Garmadon says.

"I love you, too." Warmth blossoms in her chest. "Both of you."

Hanging up, she turns to go talk to the others. They had a new mission to plan, no time or money to spare, and a long distance to travel.

* * *

Garmadon is disappointed when the call ends, but it had to eventually.

"Breakfast is ready." The bronze Zane lookalike pops in to tell them. "Well, it was actually ready twenty minutes ago, but I was told to tell you that it is ready."

"Thank you for delivering the message." Garmadon approaches the nindroid. "I am afraid we didn't get to have a proper introduction last night. I'm Sensei Garmadon."

He remembers the bronze lookalike filling in a lot of the info he'd expected from the other ninja, the three who usually seem to fill the role seemed to be distracted that night (or missing entirely, in Jay's case).

"I am Echo Zane." The nindroid introduces himself happily. "But everyone calls me Echo, because it is less confusing that way."

"Well it's nice to meet you, Echo." Garmadon shakes the other's hand.

"Echo is Zane's little brother." Lloyd supplies. "Apparently Jay and Nya met him in a future that never happened that he somehow remembered and he ended up enlisting Ronin's help in tracking us down."

"I… see." Garmadon says slowly. He must have missed quite a bit. "Who is Ronin?"

"Ronin is a criminal." Echo says helpfully. "He is currently helping us while we help him to track down parts of his ship."

"A criminal?"

"Yes. He-"

"Okay, Echo, that's enough for now." Lloyd cuts in. "Let's go eat breakfast before it goes cold or, more likely, Cole eats it all."

Garmadon would ask the other's about this Ronin character later, or talk to the man himself, if possible. He didn't want to have his son deal with being double crossed. And a criminal's only interest was for himself, a fact he knew all too well from firsthand experience.

But first, their very late breakfast.

* * *

Ronin picks his way through the mess that had been made of Cyrus' place. Without the owner around, the criminal would have thought that no one would bother to free the trapped nindroids, but to his surprise it seems that they've all been cleared away.

 _Maybe his assistant did it?_ A rich guy like Cyrus Borg would definitely be able to afford as many assistants as he wanted. _Then again, I didn't see any other workers here, so maybe this is a private lab._

Of course, that begged the question of who freed the nindroids. Hopefully it was someone who wasn't planning on using them to attack him, because he honestly didn't need that right now.

No, right now he was checking to make sure Cyrus didn't have any more of those soul shards. For all he knows the man had found them all when cleaning up the city. Which would make his job easy. Assuming he kept them all in one place, that is. Otherwise he'd have to find another of Cyrus' places that didn't have all their tech fried and see if he could hack in to find the info he needed.

Starting around where he'd found the shard, Ronin carefully examines each room. It isn't until he gets deeper in, much deeper than he did when they'd come searching for Cyrus, that he finds something interesting.

A deactivated nindroid is laying on a metal table. It doesn't look like the other nindroids, however, this one looks almost human, if half its chest wasn't open. Inside were a few shards, but they weren't what he was looking for. In fact, they glowed a variety of shades, orange, green, and yellow, but no cyan blue.

 _So Cyrus has been experimenting with soul stone?_ That was an interesting find. _I wonder if it was before or after he found out about the titanium toaster?_

He had to know about Zane, Ronin was certain about that. He knew enough about the life-size toy soldiers to know that they weren't like Zane. Or Echo, probably.

Okay, so where would he be keeping the other shards? A quick search and he manages to find a drawer that is jam packed full of them. He wasn't even storing them carefully, just leaving them loose. Maybe it didn't matter to him, because most of these already look broken, or maybe Ronin was just used to buyers picking apart his wares for any minor imperfection in the hopes of getting a deal that he just cares more about this kind of stuff.

Thankfully, it seems that there's at least one of Zane's shards here. It's small, though, barely a sliver. Ronin pockets it anyway, and considers pocketing a few of the other's too, but decides it's better not to take the risk of them crumbling before he can sell them…

 _Then again._ He can't help the pull drawing him back to the shards. _They could be useful._

It takes some effort to keep them from clanking against each other in his pocket, but he manages, and is quickly on his way to search out anymore shards while he still had the daylight for it.

* * *

From the moment he enters the memory he finds himself pacing. He had so much energy, so much, and they were keeping him locked in this damn room!

Finally the door opens and his superior walks in. He steps up to him, speaking quickly.

"Have you finished your tests yet? I've got so much work to catch up on and so many thoughts that could revolutionize how we view the-…" He stops when he sees the look on the other man's face. "Sir?"

"Hykos." Regret laces his tone. "We failed. The cure failed."

"What are you talking about?" He shakes his head, not understanding the other. He felt fine. He felt great. Obviously the cure had worked.

"I… the contamination level is at one hundred percent, now."

"You're not making any sense." He pushes his sleeves up and shows the other his arms, free of any dark marks. "If the dark fluid was still in my system, why have the bruises healed? And if the contamination was one hundred percent, I'd be dead already!"

"It… Whatever we did only mutated it. Instead of consuming you, it… it bonded to you, somehow."

"Bonded to me? To my cells?"

"We aren't sure." He looks down at the clipboard in his hands. "It's in your blood, so much of it that, well, you saw how it looked when we drew it. But the thing is, when we separate it out, the blood itself is normal. Since it's no longer feeding on you, we thought it would slowly leave your system, but it seems your system is producing more of it, somehow."

He has to take a moment to process these words.

It's taken mankind thousands of years to get to the point where technology was advanced enough to even think about condensing enough dark matter and energy to create the dark fluid, and now, here he is, apparently making it out of thin air in his blood.

 _This is like something out of some horrible science fiction novel._

Two strong hands land on his shoulders and his superior gives him a serious look.

"Hykos… we have no idea how this is going to affect you." Guilt begins to creep back into his face. "And you've been labeled a biohazard."

"What?"

"The dark matter, it's-, we tested it on some rats and it infected them. With how it affected you, there was talk about some super serum, curing cancer, but… but all it did was make the rats vicious. And changed its colors, but that's an unimportant side effect." Shaking his head, he takes a deep breath and then says. "Your case is being taken out of my hands."

It's like all the air is being sucked out of the room. He's lightheaded. And in that moment a thought strikes him.

 _ **How dare they?**_

How dare they act without asking him? He wasn't some uncontrollable animal that could spread some deadly virus should it escape; he was a person with a life, with a career!

"No." He says quietly.

"I'm so sorry, Hykos, I did everything I could, but… I'm sorry."

"I'm not going." He says determinedly. They can't make him. He has rights.

"Hykos…" His superior gives him a sad look. "Hykos, this is what's best for you."

Those words cause ice in his veins.

"What's best for me is to be locked up and tested on like some chimp?"

"That isn't what I meant." His superior sighs. "I'm sorry that I couldn't keep my promise. I'm sorry that I won't be there to help you. But, Hykos, this is what's best. They'll have people who'll be working on helping you twenty four seven. They'll have better equipment, and better lodging. Trust me, if this wasn't what's best for you, I wouldn't have agreed to it."

 _He agreed?_ The thought stands out amongst the chaos in his head. _He agreed about what should happen to_ _ **me**_ _?_

Rage builds faster than he has any time to process, and the next thing he knows his hands are being pulled off of his superior's neck, leaving scratch marks on his skin.

"Dammit." One of the guards grunts. "Looks like you're going to have to be kept for observation, too."

Something pricks his neck and there's the pressure of an injection, and the rage finally melts away to panic as his movements begin to turn sluggish.

"I told you he'd be like those rats." The other guard says.

"He's just scared." He hears his superior's voice say before everything goes black.

Jay doesn't have enough time to act. The black sand is furious, must have been agitated even before he stepped out, tearing at the memory, dragging him down, and it takes everything he has to struggle back up into the sky.

Watching the memory disappear, Jay realizes why he hadn't found the memory he's looking for, yet.

Dread pools in his gut at the thought of what he has to do now. But a pulse of cold in his chest helps him to shake it off.

 _I can't afford to doubt myself now._

Flying up as high as he can, Jay takes a deep breath, and then he shoots down towards the ground like a lightning bolt. The sand parts like water when he hits it full speed, he charges through the darkness, white hot electricity the only thing keeping it from grabbing hold of him and stopping him before he can find the last memory.

It's barely seconds he's been down there, but he's rapidly slowing, the darkness doing all it can to stop him, and for a fraction of a second doubt hits him. The electricity around him dims a fraction, he feels the first tug of darkness on his skin, and then there it is.

Putting on a last burst of speed he charges forward, uncaring that he's using up all his energy.

It's with intensity that he begins to punch in buttons on the machine, he's already loaded it with his blood, so now all he had to do was program it to start replicating his mutated dark matter rather than the normal stuff. With the right timing, it'd overload and explode, spreading the dark matter as far as possible, contaminating everything.

Soon enough-

"Hykos!" His superior, no, wait, he can't call him that anymore, can he? His first subject appears before him, panting. "Hykos… What…"

He turns away from the machine to give the other a warm smile.

"I'm so glad you could make it. I was hoping you could be here for this marvelous event." He gestures to the machine behind him. "You see, not many people get to see the world reformed."

"Hykos, I don't-, what are-, you have to stop this!"

"Stop?" His first subject must be confused. A change of regime is always confusing for the masses. He'll have to make sure the other understands. "You don't understand. What I'm going to do, it's all for the best. This is what's best for the world."

"What are you planning, exactly?" He inches forward slowly, obviously uncertain whether he was allowed in the presence of new royalty.

"I'm going to destroy this world." Turning back to the machine, he begins to type in more coding. "Once it's been completely obliterated, I'll rebuild it, and rule over the survivors."

"That-, Hykos, you sound crazy." A hand on his shoulder pulls him away from the machine, so that his subject is staring at him face to face. "You have to stop this. You need help."

"I don't need any help." He can't help feeling a little annoyed, now, but he gives the other a kind smile anyway, reaching up and grabbing one of his hands. "I know this is hard for you to understand. You weren't there. You didn't see their corruption, you weren't cut open again and again, you weren't forced to drink every type of poison imaginable." He can tell every word is like driving a spike of guilt right into the other's heart. "But you can be there when I rebuild this world. You can be there when I make this world so much better… You can be by my side from now on."

"Hykos…" Tears begin to well in the other's eyes. Was he so overwhelmed by the offer? With a flash of movement there's the pierce of a needle in his neck and the familiar feeling of something being injected. "I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry, Hykos, I never thought… You need help…"

"I see." He say disappointedly, eyeing the needle before he calmly meets his first dissenter's gaze. "I suppose they didn't tell you those don't work anymore."

Shock fills his gaze, his eyes only getting wider as the scalpel is embedded in his stomach.

"H-…" His first dissenter tries to speak, but he shushes him.

"I hope you can see reason in the next life." He says softly, gently lowering the other to the ground. Although time is of the essence, he takes the time to comfort the other as the life slowly drains from his eyes, and once his first dissenter is gone, he turns back to the task at hand.

The world wasn't going to fix itself, after all.

End chapter twenty six


	28. Chapter 27

Lloyd couldn't help but feel a little bad about earlier. He hadn't meant to keep his mother out of the loop, but, well… Sometimes he just forgot he even had a mother. When he was at Darkly's he'd heard so much about his father, but he hadn't heard a single thing about his mother.

 _She just left me there; no note, no picture…_ He knew why she left him. He understood her intentions and he didn't hate her for it, but… _But sometimes she just doesn't seem like my mom._

Even now she was mostly absent from his life. It was due to her job, he knew, as there wasn't likely to be any dig sites or ruins to explore in their back yard. Still… it didn't stop him from feeling almost unwanted.

He knew that was why he'd treated Cliff Gordon so harshly. Why he'd judged him so poorly. While he knew better now, it certainly seemed very cold hearted to just leave your kid in a junkyard, and it made him wonder about whether or not it was like that for his mom. If he was just something to be abandoned and never thought of again.

He hadn't said anything about these feelings, not even to Kai. His dad and Uncle both seemed to think so highly of his mom that he wasn't sure what their reactions would be, and as much as he trusted Kai, he wasn't the best at keeping secrets. The last thing Lloyd wanted was for them to think of him as being a terrible son.

 _Even if it is true…_

* * *

Skylor goes through the routine for opening the restaurant almost mindlessly. Her thoughts still caught up in the other night. The ninja, distracted as they were by the revelation that Alphonse had given them, still offered to let them stay the night due to the late hour. Alphonse had already left by that point, and Skylor, well…

After what Alphonse had confided in her, she wasn't sure what to do.

" _Can I tell you a secret?"_ He'd asked.

" _Of course."_ She replied.

" _I died that night, too."_ He'd said, holding out his necklace to her. The necklace had an intricate design, the pattern looping in on itself, over and under, endlessly.

" _It must have been hard."_ She'd said sympathetically. _"To be ostracized like that from your family."_

"… _That wasn't what I meant."_ The man had carefully tucked the necklace back into his shirt. _"I was dead. Buried. Three days after the incident."_

She hadn't known how to reply to that. She still has no idea how to respond to such a statement. Seeing her hesitation, Alphonse continued.

" _I'm sorry."_ Alphonse had clutched at the necklace under his shirt. _"I suppose this is hard to believe…"_

It was. It is. But she could tell he wasn't lying about it. Regardless of whether what he said was true or not, he believed what he was saying.

" _If you were buried…"_ She'd asked cautiously. _"How did you get out?"_

He'd looked at her, his gaze sad, and quietly said.

" _I didn't."_

She wanted to ask so many questions. There certainly seemed to be more to the story, but Dareth had come outside then to tell them about the ninja's offering of a room for the night. Alphonse had quickly taken his leave then, and with everything going on with the ninja, Skylor felt it rude to stay any longer. She had plenty of money, she could just rent a hotel room for the night.

Dareth had insisted on driving her to the hotel, so the two of them had departed from the ninja's place. The honorary ninja had gotten himself a room as well, and had ended up driving her back home early in the morning.

So here she was, uncertain of what the whole conversation she'd had last night even meant, or whether it was something she should tell the ninja. Alphonse didn't seem to think it was vital for them to know, otherwise he would have told them. And with everything they already had on their plates, anything more would only end up a hindrance.

 _Then again, maybe he was just worried that the ninja wouldn't believe him._ While they had seen ghosts come back, Alphonse was clearly flesh and blood. It was hard to imagine anyone being able to return from the dead in such a manner. And that was assuming the man hadn't suffered from some psychosis that made him think he'd died. _Maybe I'll take some time off from the restaurants and look into it myself…_

Then if she found anything important she could tell the ninja.

* * *

Kai watched the pot of water that was heating up with distaste. Maybe if he stared at it, it'd take just that much longer before he had to drink that unholy concoction they called tea.

"Come on, Kai, it really isn't that bad." Nya says with a shake of her head.

"Yes, it is." He insists, turning his gaze to watch his sister carefully divide a small portion of the lotus breaker out to put into the tea pot. "Maybe your taste buds aren't working."

" _Really?_ " She says flatly, momentarily looking up from her task to give her brother an unamused look.

"Yes, really." Kai met his sister's gaze unwaveringly, and she eventually rolled her eyes, turning back to the lotus breaker and setting what she'd divided into a small pile and putting the rest away.

There was a momentary silence, the two siblings both becoming lost in thought, and then Nya broke it.

"Hey, Kai?" Her tone is hesitant, and Kai, in a rare moment of insight, decides to stay quiet and give her his full attention. "There wasn't anything we could have done, is there? To prevent this, I mean. What happened to Jay…"

The master of fire had to grit his teeth as the words sparked his agitation once more. It wasn't that he was mad at his sister, nor at her words, but at the helplessness it brought to the surface.

"No." He admits grudgingly. "There wasn't."

To prevent this from happening, they'd have to have prevented Jay's uncle from performing the ritual on him, which would mean Jay would have died. He could still die, could still be lost forever, if they made a wrong move.

"But…" Here Nya hesitates again. "But why now?"

"What do you mean?" Nya isn't looking at him, instead she's watching the gentle wafts of steam rising from the near boiling water. "That guy made it pretty clear; every time we've taken out one of those guys with a shard, it's been going to Jay. Obviously it finally just… tipped the scale."

"…We haven't fought anyone recently." She picks up one of the leaves from the lotus breaker. "Before he took over Jay, the only thing we'd done is learn about our… heritage."

Kai wasn't sure he was following his sister's thought process. Sure, they'd learned that they hailed from djinn, and had apparently been influencing how things went, but what did that have to do with this current predicament?

"So…" Kai, for once, was struggling to find the right words to say. "…You think that our powers have something to do with this? So, like, we stop drinking the tea and everything will go back to normal?"

" _Kai_." She huffs, giving her brother a withering glare. The water begins to boil, filling the room with its piercing whistle, almost as if on cue. Quickly turning off the burner, Nya turns to look for a pot holder.

"Here, let me." Kai steps forward, grabbing the hot metal with his bare hand; the heat wasn't a problem for him, thanks to his powers. "And why don't you just tell me what you're thinking, I'm not Neuro, you know; I can't read minds."

He fills the tea pot with hot water, and they allow it a moment to heat up before Nya dumps it out, puts the lotus breaker in and allows Kai to fill it up once more. The master of water flips the sand timer over before turning to her brother with a troubled expression.

"It's just… there had to be a trigger, right?"

"Right." The master of fire nods.

"If it wasn't the addition of another shard, it had to be something else." She worries her lip, takes a deep breath, and then says. "The only thing that happened that could have done it… was the revelation that he doesn't love me."

Kai shifts uncomfortably for a moment, unsure how to respond.

"I… I guess that could be it."

"Kai, Brother, please just answer my next question honestly." Her gaze is hard, determined, and Kai knows that she won't take 'no' for an answer.

"Alright." As much as he dreaded her question... "I promise."

There's a momentary pause between the two of them, the tension filling the air and making it heavy.

"Am I… Was I a horrible girlfriend?" She holds his gaze for a moment before it drops down to her hands. "Did I cause this? I… I know I was a bit selfish but-… but he never complained and… but the spell, the magic or whatever, did it… was it the reason he'd never complained? The reason he _couldn't_ complain?"

"Nya…" The red ninja is shocked to see his sister's shoulders begin to shake, almost imperceptibly. She'd always been the stronger of the two, more in control of her emotions. She never cried in front of others, not even at their father's funeral… but this was a private moment between the two siblings. There was no one to put up a brave face in front of.

 _I'm the older brother, I'm supposed to protect my little sister._ Kai thinks as he pulls his sister forward into a hug. _But is it better to lie, or to tell the truth?_

The truth.

That's what their father would say, at least. That a harsh truth that kept a person from repeating a mistake was better than a pretty lie that spared the person's feelings. That was what he'd always said when Kai was younger and needed to be punished.

"Nya…" Kai took a deep breath and prepared to rip off the bandage. "You took advantage of Jay. I don't know how or if that played a part in this… but your relationship with him wasn't healthy."

She doesn't respond, just breaks down further, crying into his shoulder. It felt like a knife in his heart, knowing his words had caused it. How had their dad done it?

They stayed that way for a while, long enough for the tea to go cold, and when they finally did get around to drinking it, Kai wasn't sure if the bitter taste on his tongue was from the drink or the aftermath of his own words.

* * *

 _That was it._ Jay thinks as he exits the reel. _The final memory._

He isn't sure how he knows. He isn't sure why it's the final one, when there are more that take place after it. But the one thing he does know, now, is how to get out of here.

There wasn't a specific direction to go, but he knew he had to push forward.

"You know, I have no idea how to explain it." He says aloud to the little snowflake in his chest. "But I guess that doesn't matter so long as I know how to do it, right?"

A radiating cold from his chest is the only answer he gets, but he's sure that's a yes.

"Alright, time to get my body back." He says and pushes forward.

For a moment it's like when he steps into the reels. There's a second of confusion, he stumbles, and then a pain erupts in his chest that sends a violent shock through his system.

Bewildered, he looks down to see a sword in his chest, and then up at the person wielding it. A nameless nindroid looks back at him, dressed in white with purple accents.

"My Lord!" A familiar voice calls out, before the nindroid who stabbed him has its head sliced from its shoulders (the blade passing inches from his face); The nindroid releases its grip on the sword as its body goes limp and an array of sparks fly out from the damaged area. Then it's like Jay's been tugged back. Every sensation goes numb, and he panics, thinking he'll be pushed back down into that world of endless black sand. He isn't sure what, exactly, he does (is it still digging in your heels if it's just in your head?), but he can still see and hear what's going on. "My Lord, are you alright?"

"I'll be fine." He hears himself assure… wait, is that Pythor? "Thankfully it missed anything vital."

He watches himself pull the sword from his chest, a gush of blood flowing out once the blade is no longer stopping it. Jay winces, although his body doesn't.

"My Lord." A nindroid dressed in the old black and purple scheme approaches, looking concerned. "We have everything under control here, you should return to base and have your wounds tended to."

" _ **I am so lost right now."**_ Jay sighs, his voice echoing oddly.

He feels his body stiffen a bit, then hears himself say.

"I'll leave this in your hands." There's a long silence as his body walks away from the fighting, carelessly pushing his hand against his chest in a halfhearted attempt to stem the blood flow. "I'm impressed, little blue jay."

There's no one around to hear him, and Jay can't see any birds around.

"… _ **Wait, are you talking to me?**_

"I don't think anyone's managed to take control back from me for even a second." He pulls his hand away to look at the blood that seems way too dark to be healthy, hums thoughtfully, and then pushes it back against the wound carelessly. "Well, no normal person, anyway."

Jay hesitates a moment, unsure of what's even going on.

 _Wait… am I being possessed?_ Jay feels his anxiety begin to rise. He didn't know who this person was, or what he wanted. _Why was he fighting the nindroids, and just when did Cryptor get out of prison?!_

"Calm down blue jay." The mystery person hums. Why is he trying to be soothing? There isn't anything soothing about hearing your own voice twisted into something almost foreign by someone else. "Why don't you just go back to sleep?"

He feels a push, like it's trying to send him back down to that place, the world of endless black sand and stormy skies, but Jay pushes back.

" _ **Ooooh, no!"**_ He says stubbornly. _**"I am not going back there after everything I went through to get here! So, just, give me back my body!"**_

Jay tries to push forward, to take back control, but it feels like he's pushing against a brick wall.

"Seems we're at an impasse." He hears the other say with a touch of annoyance in his voice.

" _ **Who are you, anyway?"**_ Jay huffs, then pauses, realizing something. _**"And would you get some medical attention before you let me bleed out?!"**_

"This wound isn't going to kill us, blue jay." The other sighs dramatically. "As I said before, nothing vital was hit. Honestly, I should be mad at you for breaking my concentration like that."

" _ **Don't you dare turn this on me!"**_ Was this guy serious? _**"Let's not forget who stole who's body here."**_

"Steal~?" The other chuckles. "Let's not forget who gave it up willingly."

" _ **I… I wouldn't…"**_ Jay hesitates, because now that he thinks back he can remember hearing a voice just before he ended up in that strange world. The memory was fuzzy, now, he can't remember what was said. Had he really agreed to this?

"You did." The other says without any hesitation. "Don't you remember? The sorrow, the anger, and the fear? It can all go away, you just need to go back to sleep."

" _ **No!"**_ If Jay could, he'd shake his head. _**"I'm not going back. I don't know who you are-"**_ Jay stops, because he realizes that, yes, he _does_ know who this is. He only ever saw the memories of two people down in that world. His own and memories belonging to a man named- _**"Hykos?"**_

The other stiffens, and Jay thinks he can feel the other's shock dimly.

"How do you know that name?" The other asks, and then shakes his head. "It doesn't matter; Hykos died long ago. You can call me Viperae."

He begins to walk. Jay assumes he's heading back for his base like Cryptor had suggested.

" _ **Don't like the name?"**_ Jay pushes, testing the other's resolve. Still like a wall. Darn. _**"Or do you not like the memories associated with it?"**_

"Don't speak of things you know nothing about." The other hisses lowly.

" _ **Oh, I know plenty. I even lived through it, as if I were the one killing your superior."**_ There's a momentary give, a waver in the other, and then he's pushed back with such force Jay actually feels his head reel. If he weren't careful the other could send him back into that world, and Jay wasn't sure if he'd be able to make it back out again.

"I'm done talking, blue jay." Hykos says darkly.

" _ **Too bad."**_ Jay says carefully. _**"All my friends say I don't know when to shut up."**_

He isn't sure if the snort that gets from the other is from amusement or annoyance. Either way, he was going to keep talking to Hykos as much as possible and wait for the other to let his guard down.

Eventually he'd slip enough for Jay to take back control.

End chapter twenty seven

* * *

AN: For those wondering why Jay wouldn't realize right off the bat that Viperae was talking to him, that's because they're technically speaking Japanese in this (since Ninjago is probably Japan). In Japanese 'blue jay' is 'Aokokestu' (correct me if I'm wrong), which doesn't sound anything like his name.

Many thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, and especially reviewed this story so far! Seeing how much you guys are enjoying it makes it all worth it. ^u^

-Kit Brightside


	29. Chapter 28

"Hm…" Viperae eyes the hole in his gi critically. The cut was clean, three inches in length, and stiff due to the dried blood crusted into the fabric.

" _ **It's still fixable."**_ The little bird, Jay, pipes up. _**"Mom used to patch up my clothes all the time."**_

"Before or after you wash out the blood?" He questions.

" _ **Eh… I'm not sure. I've never gotten my clothes so bloody."**_ He can hear the curiosity in the blue jay's voice, echoed as it is. _**"Speaking of, just why was it that I got stabbed?"**_

"You got stabbed because your reflexes are poor." Viperae says simply, smiling at the agitation he can feel coming from the other. He was like a book, so easily read one might think it was written for a child.

"My Lord?" Cryptor calls out questioningly. Viperae sets the ruined gi aside and turns to the Gollum. "We obtained the golden armor, just as you commanded."

" _ **You were after the golden armor?"**_

"Good." He says calmly, ignoring the little bird's question. "I knew you wouldn't fail me."

"Of course." The Gollum puffs out his chest a bit at the other's words.

" _ **What are you even going to do with it?"**_ The little bird scoffs. _**"It pretty much incinerates everything it touches. Anything alive, at least…"**_

"It has a power no mortal can wield, yes." He says, if only to quell the little bird's curiosity and gain a moment of silence. "But I'm no mortal~."

"Uh…" Cryptor gives his Lord a confused look.

" _ **Yeah, but you're currently in**_ **my** _ **body, and I'm definitely a mortal."**_

"You truly have no understanding of yourself, do you?" He sighs dramatically.

"I'm sorry?" The nindroid replies, mistaking Viperae's words as being for him.

"Where is the armor, currently?" Viperae changes the subject, not wanting to go through the hassle of explaining everything to a mere Gollum.

"Right this way!" The nindroid snaps back to attention, swiftly turning on heel and leading the way to the armor. The armor, previously having been molded for a being much bigger along with a giant mech, didn't have a single piece in a size for any normal person to wear. "We've already begun preparations for smelting it into something more malleable."

"That won't be necessary." He waves the other off, quickly moving forward. "Tell them to cease immediately. There's no point wasting time and effort on something pointless."

"…Yes, My Lord."

" _ **Aw."**_ The other says sympathetically. _ **"You hurt his feelings."**_

"That is impossible." He says almost idly to the little bird as he approaches the armor. "Gollum do not have feelings."

" _ **He isn't a Gollum, he's a nindroid."**_ He can practically feel his the other roll his eyes. _**"Of course he has feelings!"**_

The poor child was delusional. No doubt his master hadn't taught him anything about Gollum, maybe even encouraged this kind of thought, due to the Gollum they work with closely. He'd teach the boy about it, himself, later. After Ninjago was under his control…

 _Assuming the child doesn't fall back asleep before then._ But for now he had to focus. This spell wasn't exactly hard, on a small scale with normal metal, but on a large scale with such powerful metal, it became a lot more finicky. _Hopefully the little bird will stay quiet long enough for me to do this._

First he calls to mind the symbols, the frequencies at which each thread hums, each one a piece that can be manipulated into his desires should he just know how to shift the pitch. This note goes down, this one goes up, and it's all unraveling in his hands, from a solid to a liquid that is spreading over the floor. A shift in tempo and the liquid moves as he commands. It condenses, snakes around and over itself, until finally…

" _ **Whoa..."**_

It's done.

He experimentally twirls the staff in his hands. It's different than before, much more ornate, with a decorative piece at each end. This was more than the Mega Weapon. It was more powerful, and he could only guess as to why that was. The power in it thrummed through his hands, singing a delicious tune that could drive lesser men mad, like a siren asking for its next victim.

"Today," He says to the few followers who had gathered to watch the proceedings. "You lucky few have witnessed the creation of the Ultra Weapon."

" _ **This…"**_ Jay is quiet, sounding almost perturbed. _**"What is this?"**_

"You can feel it?" He can't help but smile wide at that. The little bird had potential…

"My Lord?" Pythor speaks up, quickly getting ahold of his awe so to speak. "What now?"

He stops to think it over for a moment. He could move forward with his plans at this moment, but… but there was one last piece that he wanted. A piece that was being stubborn.

 _Perhaps another route would be better?_

"We have a little detour to make."

* * *

Zane looked at all of the others, all gathered and waiting to hear what he and Echo had found in the information that Jay's uncle had given them.

"Well?!" Kai demanded impatiently. "Did you figure out how to get rid of that guy without killing Jay?"

"Yes and no." Zane grits his teeth. "You see, we looked into quantum entanglement, and… well, when you quantum entangle something, they merge, like what happened with Jay and Viperae. But when you detangle them… they continue to influence each other."

"So… What?" Lloyd's brows pinch as he tries to think it over. "Does that mean that Jay'll be fine if we separate him from Viperae?"

"Probably."

"Probably?" Cole raises an eyebrow at the titanium nindroid. "I'd rather not risk my best friend's life on _probably_."

"Neither would I." Zane assures the master of earth. "And as much as I'd like to say that we have a solution, we don't even have any idea how we would go about untangling their souls."

"So, we're basically no better off than before?" Kai surmises.

Zane tries not to sigh, but he takes a deep breath in and-

" _Was this really for the best?" He turns to the thief, the only other one of their group who was awake. "I mean, splitting off half of Ninjago…"_

" _You don't think 'purifying the land of all its darkness' was a good thing?"_

" _Honestly? I don't." Not when it had caused the death of an untold number of people._

" _Good." The thief looks away from the miles of ocean that now separate the two masses of land, and meets his eyes. The firelight from their camp only barely lights his face enough to read his expression. "Because I've been wondering… just who's right in this."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _The Overlord, and now our great 'Lord Bai Garmadon' have committed horrible atrocities. Both of them want to control Ninjago…" The thief glances back at the camp, probably checking to make sure the others' were still sleeping and couldn't overhear his words. They were almost undyingly loyal to Lord Garmadon. "Is there even a 'right' side to this, or are we just splitting hairs now? Has your witches gaze given you any insight into this?"_

" _I'm afraid my visions aren't always straightforward. Many I don't even understand until the event has already come and past." He hesitates. He wasn't sure how much he should say about his visions. "But… even if we are splitting hairs now, I believe this is the lesser of two evils."_

" _I see…" The thief chuckles humorlessly. "I suppose I shouldn't complain. It's not like I've ever been on the moral high ground."_

The world blurs for a moment as someone shakes him rather violently.

"Wha-" Thankfully they stop when Zane shows signs of acknowledgement. He meet's Lloyd's worried green eyes blankly, and then apologetically. "I'm sorry… I'm fine now."

The green ninja backs up a little bit to give the titanium nindroid some room, looking unconvinced.

"Right."

"Anyway, I just wanted to update you on our findings. We should get back to-"

"Actually," Cole interrupts, a worried look on his face. "I think now would be a good time to break for dinner."

"Yes!" Echo readily agrees. "It has gotten close to the time that most people typically eat dinner."

"Alright…" Zane can't deny his friends and brother. Not when they all look so worried for him. "Dinner first, and then we will get back to researching."

They all happily filed out of the room to head into the kitchen and debate over who was going to make what for dinner, as this was usually Jay's night to cook. Well, all were happy expect for Kai, who ended up slipping on some ice that Zane had accidentally left, causing the fire ninja to fume on his way out.

* * *

" _ **I'm bored."**_ Jay whines. Honestly, having to sit back and watch someone else's life got boring after a while, especially when that person was currently traveling on a boat with very little to do.

"So you've said." Hykos replies, sounding a little bit irritated. "If you went back to sleep, boredom wouldn't be a problem anymore, you know."

" _ **No."**_ He replies stubbornly. _**"Where are we going, anyway? I thought you wanted to take over Ninjago."**_

"I will, in time. I just have some things to take care of first."

" _ **Something that involves going to the Dark Island?"**_

"I thought you didn't know where we were going?"

" _ **I guessed."**_ Jay shrugs, mentally, since he couldn't get control back of his body to do it physically. **"So what's on the Dark Island that you want, anyway? More of that dark matter that's all over the place there?"**

"I suppose there isn't anything wrong with telling you…" Hykos says thoughtfully. "You see, there's someone who I want on my side, but he's very willful, and despite my offering him a very good deal, it seems it wasn't sweet enough to tempt him."

" _ **Okay, so, something on the Dark Island is going to convince this person to join you, somehow?"**_

"Some _one_ , yes."

"My Lord?" Cryptor says from the doorway to the captain's room.

"Yes?"

The nindroid steps in, closing the door behind himself, and then quickly says.

"Some of the others are getting worried about you."

"Worried?" Hykos sits a little straighter, folds his hands under his chin and sweetly asks. "And why would they be worried?"

"You've been talking to yourself ever since we got the golden armor…"

" _ **Oh, they think you're crazy!"**_ Jay can't help but laugh, before thoughtfully saying. _**"Well, I guess you**_ **are** _ **talking to a voice in your head…"**_

"Assure them that there is nothing to worry about." Hykos says, ignoring Jay. "And I haven't been talking to myself."

"Who have you been talking to, my Lord?" Cryptor asks cautiously.

"Oh, just a little birdie, that's all~." He assures the other almost teasingly.

" _ **You know, he's probably going to assume you really are talking about a real bird."**_ Jay says nonchalantly. _**"After all, Zane had a bit of trouble with sarcasm and metaphors at first, too."**_

"It isn't important." Hykos says with a huff.

"Yes, my Lord." Cryptor bows before quickly leaving.

" _ **Well, that was fun while it lasted."**_

"Don't tell me you're bored again already. It's barely even been two seconds."

" _ **I'm booooooooored."**_

"If this is how you plan to wear me down so you can take back control, I can tell you already that it won't be successful."

" _ **Isn't there anything interesting you could do, at least?"**_ Jay whines.

"This trip is going to take some time, I suggest you figure out a way to entertain yourself if you don't want to be bored the entire time."

"… _**Fine."**_ What was the most annoying thing he could do? _**"So, uh, you used to be a scientist, right?"**_

"Perhaps I should rephrase my earlier sentence, since it wasn't clear enough." Hykos says with a sigh. "Find a way to entertain yourself on your own, without me."

" _ **That was a hypothetical question, anyway."**_ Jay says airily. _**"I already know you were one. So, my real question is what did you do?"**_

There's a long silence, and Jay starts to think up things to guess, but then Hykos speaks up.

"I worked mainly in two fields. Quantum mechanics and genetic engineering."

" _ **Those are pretty different fields."**_ Jay hums. Hykos doesn't say anything in response. _**"Which one did you like better?"**_

"I didn't like either one."

" _ **So why did you enter those fields?"**_ Jay suspected the answer, he'd seen enough snippets of memory to piece together an answer, but it seemed… more polite to ask. If that made any sense, given neither of them had respected any sort of personal boundaries up till now, what with the possession and perusal of the other's memories.

Hykos is quiet for a long moment. Jay can feel the tension in the air, can feel the distant emotions welling up, so confusing and muddled that he can't make heads or tails of it, and then Hykos' voice breaks the heavy silence.

"Want to see something interesting?"

It's obvious what he's attempting to do. He wants to distract Jay, to move away from the subject of his past. Jay wants to keep pushing, but there's a small radiating chill in his chest, the little snowflake, that he thinks is telling him to let it go, so he does.

" _ **What is it?"**_

* * *

"Cole." Zane says softly, so as not to startle the other while he's pouring himself a mug of coffee.

"Hey." Cole glances up at the nindroid quickly before finishing pouring and putting the coffee pot back. "What's up?"

"I was wondering about something, and I was hoping you could help to clear it up for me."

"Sure. What is it?" Cole begins to pour sugar and cream in his coffee.

"Well, Alphonse spent years researching quantum entanglement. No doubt he would have known about the effects, that detangling them wouldn't necessarily kill Jay, so why didn't he say anything about it? What would have compelled him to lie about it instead?"

"That's hard to say…" Cole takes an experimental sip of his coffee, and then pours some more creamer and sugar in. "You're sure he knew?"

"Yes. It was in the materials that he gave us, and I doubt that he somehow overlooked something so important."

"Maybe he knew, but since it wasn't a guarantee, he wrote it off as undoable?" Cole took another sip, this time seeming satisfied with the coffee. "Or maybe he _did_ overlook it. He didn't seem all that crazy, but who knows? After all this time the guilt could have driven him bonkers, and he ended up missing something right in front of his nose."

There was a long moment of silence as Zane thought Cole's words over.

"I still do not think he was unaware."

"Okay." Cole shrugs. "But there's no way for us to know without asking him directly."

"… You are right." Zane says slowly. "Thank you for your assistance."

"No problem." Cole says easily. "If there's anything else you want help with, don't hesitate to ask."

"Of course." With that Zane returned to his research.

* * *

Nya tailed after Ronin and Echo, careful not to be seen by the pair. She trusted Ronin, unlike the others, so it was purely curiosity that motivated her to follow the two as they snuck off the ship so late at night.

 _Echo doesn't seem any fonder of Ronin than the others, so what are they up to?_ If only she were closer, than she could hear what they were talking about… _But if I get any closer, Echo will probably be able to hear me, if his senses are as good as Zane's._

So she had to settle for watching them for now. They turn the corner and she counts down the seconds in her head before it's safe for her to turn the corner, and when she does she comes face to face with Ronin, who's leaning on the wall.

"Fancy running into you here." He starts off casually. "Care to explain why you're following me?"

"I believe it would be more accurate to say she was following _us_." Echo interjects, getting a flat look from the criminal in return.

"How'd you know I was following you?" She'd been so careful! There was no way he could have known…

"I've had plenty of dissatisfied 'customers' decide to follow me home in an attempt to ambush me." Ronin pushes off of the wall, and crosses his arms. "Now why were you following _us_?"

He throws the nindroid a look over his shoulder as he says the last word. Echo just looks back, completely innocently, and gives the other a thumbs up. Ronin, of course, rolls his eyes at the other.

"I just wanted to know what you two were up to." She crosses her own arms in a mimic of the other's stance.

Ronin looks over at Echo again, who shifts uncomfortably, and then back at her.

"Sorry, Nya, but I'm afraid that's a secret."

She glances between the two of them, neither seem like they're going to speak.

"I'm not going to go back to the ship." She says determinedly. "So you can either tell me what we're doing now, or you can tell me what we're doing when we get to wherever we're going."

Again Ronin looks over at Echo, who ends up shrugging, looking a little unsure of himself. Nya had no idea what was up with them, but she was going to find out one way or another.

"Alright." Ronin shrugs, and the two begin to walk again. Nya hurries to follow along.

They were being silent for now, but even if she had to wait until they got where they were going, she'd find out what they were up to.

"What a night for taking a walk." She says after the silence stretches on for a while.

"What do you mean?" Echo asks curiously.

"It's just cold, that's all."

"It does not feel that cold to me."

"Yeah, that's because you're a walking heater." Ronin says snarkily. There's a beat of silence, so he goes on. "What? No 'I'm not a heater'?"

"Well, my systems were designed to maintain the optimal operating temperature, so in a sense, you are not wrong."

"Huh. Well alright, then." That seemed to have taken the wind from his sails. "Oh, and we're almost there, so you won't have to put up with the cold much longer."

"Good." Nya much preferred warmer temperatures. Maybe it had something to do with growing up in a blacksmith shop, where their house was almost always sweltering thanks to the smelter, or maybe it had something to do with being related to the master of fire. Either way, she'd be thankful when they were back inside and warm.

They entered what appeared to be a pawn shop of some sort. Ronin, not wasting any time, walked right up to the counter.

"Can I help you?" The cashier asks dully, obviously bored.

 _What terrible customer service._

"Yeah, I talked with you on the phone earlier." Ronin says ambiguously. The man looks at the criminal, then at Echo and Nya. "It's alright, they're with me."

"I've got what you're looking for." The man says, leaning forward on the counter, obviously sizing Ronin up. "Assuming you've got the cash."

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't." Ronin leans on the counter, too, meeting the other's gaze squarely. "Now are we going to do business or am I going to have to take my money elsewhere?"

After a moment of silence the man stands up and comes out from behind the counter. He quickly flips the shop sign to 'closed' and then heads over to a back room. There's a small table set up here with a single bulb lighting up the room hanging from the ceiling. It's like something right out of a movie and Nya starts to wonder just what Ronin had been dragging Echo into.

 _Whatever it is, Zane isn't going to be happy if he finds out._

The man pulls out a small locked box, sets it on the table, unlocks and opens it, and then turns it around to face the small group. Inside were a bunch of softly glowing gems…

"Are those-?" Nya starts with a gasp, only to be cut off by Ronin.

"Soul stones."

"Only the best." The Merchant adds.

"They're all cut or broken." Ronin says, eyeing them critically. He picks up one, a light shade of teal, almost appearing cyan. "Not what I'd call the 'best'."

"This is what you wanted, isn't it?" The merchant says with a frown. "You specifically asked if I had any broken or cut soul stone."

"I did." Ronin says in a placating tone. He sets the piece of soul stone down and picks up another one similar in color. "But I'm also not some fool who buys damaged goods whole sale."

"I see." The merchant says skeptically. "So you're looking to get some valuable goods cheap?"

"I'm not going to short change you, don't worry." He sets the piece aside and picks up another to examine. "Of course, that's assuming you even have something I want."

"Ronin-" Nya stops as soon as Ronin meets her eyes. There's a subtle 'stay quiet' written on his face, and she finds herself tensing up, ready for anything.

"Is this all you have?" Ronin asks, gesturing with the piece he'd just picked up.

"Soul stone doesn't grow on trees, you know. Of course this is all I have!"

Ronin seems to study the other man's face for a moment, and then he sets the piece he's holding down and shuts the lid.

"Tell me who else you've sold soul stone too."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because I can make it worth your time, and no one will ever know it was you who gave me the information."

"You don't have enough money to pay for that kind of information." The merchant scoffs.

"I'm not paying in money." He snaps his fingers, which causes Echo to steps forward and hand him a bag. The contents clinked and clanked noisily as he dumped it onto the table. It was full of various soul stones, each one appearing broken or cut like the ones the merchant had. "I'll trade you all of these in exchange for the information."

The merchant puts on a show of considering the offer. Studying Ronin's face, studying one of the soul stone fragments, and even studying Echo and Nya, before finally holding out his hand.

"You've got a deal."

The man gave him some addresses, names, numbers, basically everything he had on who he sold soul stone to. Ronin let the man sweep all of the soul stones into his box, and then the three of them left. Nya waiting until they were well out of sight of the shop before she says.

"Okay, what was that?" She rounds on the other two. Ronin gives her a look and says.

"A business deal."

"Yeah, I get that." She huffs. "What I meant, is why the heck are you looking into all this? What's the point? And where'd you get those other soul stones anyway?!"

"Listen, I'd love to explain everything to you, really, I would, but my client has asked me to keep this all hush-hush."

"Who is your 'client' anyway?" Nya demands. Echo shifts, catching her attention, and she almost feels stupid for having to ask. "Echo?"

What would the nindroid even want with soul stones? Why would he need Ronin's help to get them? Why even keep it a secret?

Ronin looks over at Echo and shrugs.

"She's pretty good at figuring things out."

"I… guess it is alright if you know, so long as you promise not to tell anyone else."

"I'm not promising anything until after I know what I'm promising to keep secret." If it turned out that soul stone was like… drugs or something for nindroids and she helped keep this a secret, she would never be able to live it down.

"I think that's the best you're gonna get from her." Ronin says. "So what'll it be?"

Echo seemed to think it over for a long time, before finally nodding.

"I hope brother can forgive me for breaking his trust like this…"

* * *

Jay, if he could, would bite his lip in anxious anticipation. It was getting late, very late, so Hykos would have to go to sleep soon. Jay wasn't sure what would happen then, if the other's guard would lower enough for him to take back control or if the other could somehow magically maintain that while sleeping.

" _ **So, uh, shouldn't you go to bed soon?"**_ It wasn't like there was a lot on the ship for him to do, anyway.

"You seem anxious." Hykos hums thoughtfully. "I hope you're not plotting anything."

" _ **What? Of course not!"**_ Jay laughs nervously.

"Of course not." Hykos repeats sweetly. "And as for your question, no, I have no intention of sleeping any time soon."

" _ **You know that's bad for you, right?"**_ Jay tries to say nonchalantly. _**"I hear it can mess with your head, impair your judgement and all that."**_

"Duly noted."

Alright, so maybe Jay would be in for a bit of a wait, then. Fine. He'd just keep bothering Hykos until the other decided to go to bed. Which hopefully wouldn't be long. Hopefully.

End chapter twenty eight


	30. Chapter 29

_We need more information._ This was the conclusion Zane had come to after days and nights of studying the materials that Jay's uncle, Alphonse, had given them. None of them said what the man had done to entangle Jay's soul with the shard of Viperae's soul. _If we knew what he did, exactly, then maybe we would be able to figure out a way to reverse it._

The problem with that, though, was the little matter of the man being officially dead. They weren't going to be able to just look him up in the phone book in order to call him up and ask for more info.

"Maybe I can be of assistance?" Pixal appears on the main monitor of the bridge.

"Pixal." Zane says happily. "Have you finished what you were working on?"

"I have." Pixal had taken the downtime as a chance to upgrade herself, moving from Zane's systems to the Bounty's. While it meant she would be mostly absent while she worked on the coding, Zane was happy for her. He didn't mind her being in his head, but she deserved to have a life of her own, to be able to interact with people aside from him, and become whatever person she wanted to be. She'd chosen this route over building a new body for reasons she didn't divulge to him. "The only thing left is for everyone to download the app from the e-mails I sent out."

"I am sure they will as soon as they can." Zane assures her while pulling out his own phone to download the app. Pixal still had a wireless access to his systems directly, so there wasn't any need for him to have the app that allowed her to communicate with them wherever they were that had service, especially since his systems were much stronger than any cell reception. That being said, it was a nice show of support for his friend. "If need be, I can tell them about the e-mails."

He knew that the others didn't always stay on top of their messages. Their sensei were especially bad with technology; it'd taken a lot of convincing to get them to get their own cell phones, and they rarely used them to the point they barely had to charge them more than twice a week, if that.

 _And Jay would practically walk around with the charger in his mouth to keep his charged with how often he used it…_

"Zane?" Pixal's worried voice breaks him from his thoughts. "Are you alright?"

"I… I am not." He admits a little reluctantly. Pixal knew more about him than any of the others, not just physically (as she had access to his operating systems), but mentally as well. Maybe that was why they realized they weren't as compatible as they first thought. Either way, Pixal was a good friend to him.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" She offers.

"No…" He starts to dismiss the idea, as he had before. There wasn't any time to waste focusing on what was wrong with him when Jay needed their help. But, as an AI, Pixal could be in multiple places at once, and every computer added to her network would only improve her abilities. There wasn't any harm in at least telling her what was going on. Maybe she would help his brother and Ronin in their search while helping him with trying to figure out how to help Jay. "Actually, you might be able to."

So he spent the next hour detailing everything that had happened while she had been busy, expanding on what he'd managed to tell her between updates. With her added to their arsenal once more, Zane was certain that things would go a lot faster.

"That is quiet the predicament." She says worriedly once he'd finished explaining. "I will begin searching for information on soul stones and do my best to track Alphonse's movements via security cameras as best I can."

"Thank you, Pixal." Zane says gratefully. If he were being honest, just telling her had made him feel a little bit better, but knowing she was working on this, on everything, as well made him feel better.

"Do not thank me just yet." Pixal says with a soft smile. "I cannot efficiently coordinate my efforts with Ronin and Echo until one of them downloads the app to their phones."

"I understand not being able to contact Ronin, but can't you link to Echo directly like me?" Zane asks curiously.

"There are many nindroid's connected to the system, but I am afraid that Echo is not one of them." She shakes her head softly on the monitor. "I do not believe he was made with the ability to link up to the network, just as you were not originally made with that capability either."

"I see…" Zane being able to communicate wirelessly with Borg Inc. tech at first had been a fluke. The frequencies that he used to communicate with Falk just so happened to overlap with the one they used for things like, say, the universal remote they sold. After he was rebuilt the function had been intentionally added in and improved upon. Echo, however, might not have even that basic despite being based off of the same blueprints. As far as Zane was aware he'd never communicated wirelessly with Tai-D. The two would have 'verbal' communication where a series of beeps would be exchanged, but that was it. "We did not have time to buy Echo his own phone just yet. If it turns out he cannot communicate wirelessly with you as I do, I will lend him my phone."

Zane had expected that to be it, and he was turning back to look over the materials he had once more despite being able to recall them all perfectly (the perks of being a nindroid), when Pixal spoke up once more.

"There is one other thing." She seemed grim as she speaks. "There was a breach at the secret facility housing the golden armor. It was stolen roughly three days ago."

"Viperae?" There wasn't any point in asking just who had taken it, nor why it had taken so long for Pixal to find out. In order to keep it as secret as possible the communication between the secret bases were limited. Still, he _had_ released a lot of prisoners from a high security prison, so there was a slight chance that it was someone else.

"Yes." Pixal confirms. "He was not alone…"

She hesitates, and the nindroid finds his curiosity peak. Not much made Pixal hesitate.

"What is it?"

"…Viperae was hurt in the battle." It wasn't Zane's imagination that the temperature of the room dropped. "From my simulations of the battle, the wound was not fatal, and he did not seem overly worried about it either."

It took the titanium nindroid a while before he felt in control enough to answer.

"I'm going to go tell the others the news." His legs felt stiff as he moves to leave.

"Zane." Pixal calls softly. He pauses, glancing back over his shoulder to show she has his attention. For a moment she doesn't say anything, and then. "…Why were you so interested in me when we first met?"

The question catches him off guard, but the answer comes easily enough.

"Because I thought we were compatible." She stares at him, and he gets the feeling like she's looking right through him. The thought is ridiculous. If she were accessing his systems he'd know, and Jay and Nya were far too proud of their inventions to install any kind of x-ray without telling them about it.

"Just because two things are the same does not mean they are compatible, Zane." He turns to face her fully at this, confusion making his eyebrows pinch. Easily reading him, she goes on. "You were interested in me because I am… I _was_ like you. An android. I was interested in you because you had no directive. No rules that seemed to guide your actions aside from the ones you chose."

"You believe our relationship was superficial?"

"Perhaps." She takes a moment to think over her next words. "Or perhaps it was the most human thing either of us had experienced at the time."

"I don't understand…"

"Desire." She says simply.

Zane still isn't sure he follows her thoughts. A part of him wants to ask if she chose to stay an AI over having a form because of him, just like before when she first told him her idea. It was odd. He didn't have any hard feelings over their breakup. They both had agreed they didn't feel anything more than friendship and that was that. If she had felt any animosity towards him, or had any hurt feelings, he had thought she would have shared them with him then.

 _Unless she didn't want to risk saying anything until after her transfer…_ The thought brought out a spike of pain in his chest. That she'd worry about his reaction enough to only say something after she was distanced from him. _Or was it the fact that we were too close that made it so hard?_

"I…" Zane tries to find the right words to say. "I am sorry if I did anything that hurt you."

"We are not the same." She says softly. No hate, nor sadness in her face or voice. "And that doesn't make two things compatible, either… When I realized that I didn't say anything right away. A part of me thought I had to be a part of you to maintain that freedom I desired when we first met." The master of ice stays silent, unsure of how to proceed, but Pixal isn't done just yet. "I do not regret our relationship. I would not be who I am now without it. But it is time we both open our eyes to the world around us and realize what else there is out there."

 _Oh._ The titanium nindroid thought suddenly. _Is there someone else she's interested in?_

That would explain everything. Why she wanted to transfer, the strange conversation now. After what they'd seen happen between Cole, Nya, and Jay, he could understand her worry about some kind of fallout.

"I understand." He gives her a kind smile. "I am perfectly fine with that."

She purses her lips, looking unconvinced, before sighing and nodding.

"You were going to go tell the others the news?"

"Ah, yes…" His mood dropped once more at the reminder. "I will see you in a bit."

She doesn't wave him out, her picture just disappears from the monitor. He couldn't help but feel like he'd made some mistake in their conversation, but no matter how he goes over it he couldn't figure out what it could be.

Those thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind when he and the others had to deal with a raging Kai, who, after hearing the news, had decided they needed to launch some kind of attack on Viperae's forces despite not having any idea where they could be.

* * *

Jay did his best to calm himself as Hykos was preparing to _actually sleep_. Like, how long could one person actually stay awake and still be a functioning person? Jay knew his own limit was something like a day and a half. He'd cycle through feeling giddy, to sluggish, to outright crabby, and then he'd realize he needed sleep… sometimes he'd push it past that, but his dad was clear about not using dangerous tools on little amounts of sleep.

Of course, staying up wasn't always something he did _voluntarily_ …

 _Focus, Jay!_ He admonishes himself. He hated when his mind wondered like this during something important. Hykos was finally going to sleep after three days of apparently not needing a wink of it, all because they'd be arriving at the dark island soon. _Maybe he wants his beauty rest before he goes and confronts whoever it is that he's trying to persuade?_

Not that he had any idea how soon afterword they'd be able to go see this person. If they were back on Ninjago, then it'd be another four day trip, maybe longer depending on whether the weather wanted to be friendly again, before they got back.

" _ **Seriously, Jay, you have to focus. The others aren't around to keep you on task like before."**_ He admonishes himself 'out loud' and then cringes, expecting his remark to disturb Hykos in some manner. He only breathes a sigh of relief when Hykos doesn't even stir. The other must be sound asleep now.

 _The only good thing about being a ghost in your own body,_ Jay thinks as he very carefully tests out the boundary of the other's control. _You never get tired. Or at least not enough to fall asleep._

He'd been worried at first that he might be sucked into Hykos' dreams or something, but mercifully that doesn't appear to be the case. Settling back into control of his body is like all his limbs waking up from falling asleep. There's a fading sense of numbness along with a lot of tingling. He blinks his eyes open slowly, flexes his fingers and toes, and takes a deep breath before he moves to sit up.

Hykos didn't appear to be disturbed by Jay's actions, which was good. If his taking control had woken the other he'd have to brainstorm some other means of regaining control.

"Of course," He whispers aloud to himself, feeling both elated at hearing his own voice without the strange echo, and anxious that any second now he'd lose control once more. "I don't have much idea what to do now."

He _had_ tried to figure out a plan, but the ones he thought up always ended up seeming less than stellar. Grabbing a lifeboat and abandoning ship seemed like a good idea at first, especially since it'd isolate him from Hykos' underlings, but Jay wasn't a master sailor. He couldn't navigate by the stars, not well enough to make it back to Ninjago now, at least, and then there was the issue of food. The lifeboats _might_ have enough for a day or two, maybe a week if he were lucky, but if he ended up lost at sea? He'd probably die.

Not bothering to put on shoes, he softly pads his way to the door and pauses to listen at the hallway. There were the ambient sound of the sea that had surrounded them from the moment they started this boring journey, the rumble and tingling of electricity in the air that Jay knew accompanied a storm brewing; and the creaking of the ship… but it seemed most of the crew had gone to sleep as usual.

"Good." Jay sighs out softly. "Best to be cautious, though."

A little radiant chill in his chest of agreement told him all he needed about what the snowflake thought.

Quietly opening the door, Jay slips out into the hall and glances both ways. He'd payed careful attention when Hykos would walk these halls, and he was used to living in the bounty, so the inside of a ship was a familiar one to him. Navigating wouldn't be that difficult… _I hope._

Two pulses of cold that he thinks was supposed to be the snowflakes attempt at reassurance counter the thought.

"Yeah." He whispers, and begins his way down the hall.

It almost makes him think of the horror movies his friends would make him watch with them. The mounting tension as the main character slowly moves down the hallway, the monster, or killer, could be just around the corner, or hiding in one of the rooms…

"Like this isn't nerve-wracking enough." He whispers with a hiss. "You have to go and equate it to a horror movie!"

A sharp spike of cold, and admonishment to focus, and he's back to creeping down the hallway.

 _Besides,_ he can't help but think. _When you are the monster, it's a little hard to be jump scared._

"My Lord?" Cryptor proved the master of lightning wrong by provoking a terrible shriek from him. Of course, this did nothing to assuage the other's obvious worry. "Is everything alright? I thought you were going to rest?"

"F-fine!" Jay says hurriedly, then mentally berates himself. Of course he'd summon someone by thinking those thoughts! He should know better… and now he'd have to pretend to be Hykos. "I just, uh, changed my mind."

 _Real smooth, Jay._ He can almost hear Cole in his head, can imagine him shaking his head in disappointment.

"I see." Cryptor says slowly. "Did you require my assistance with anything?"

"Uh…" Jay hesitates, and then realizes that this was actually a good turn of events. "Yes. I want to use the Ultra Weapon."

Hykos had locked it up shortly after they'd gotten on the boat, claiming it was too powerful to just leave sitting around when he had no need of it. He'd kept one key that was around Jay's neck right now, but there were two in total, and the nindroid just so happened to have the other.

"Of course." The nindroid says differentially. Rather than just hand over the key, as Jay was hoping, the nindroid turns and begins heading for the safe where it was kept. "If you do not mind me asking, My Lord, what do you intend to use it for?"

That was a good question.

"Well…" Jay hesitates. He could try and use it to get his own body back. If it were anything like the mega weapon, it'd be able to do that, right? Actually, Hykos had said it was more powerful than that. Their time travel shenanigans had doubled the amount of 'dragon's gold' as he'd called it, which meant it had twice the power the mega weapon did. Strong as the mega weapon was, Jay could barely imagine something more powerful… "That's for me to know."

Cryptor stops walking and Jay has to swallow the sudden bout of anxiety that rises. Had he not done a good job pretending to be Hykos?

 _Of course you didn't._ He scolds himself. _Hykos wouldn't hesitate._

The nindroid turns to him, meets his eyes, and then bows.

"Excuse my insolence." Jay can only stare in shock at the nindroid for a while, and then it becomes clear he has no intention of moving until Jay does something.

"You're forgiven?"

"Thank you, My Lord." Cryptor straightens and begins to walk again, leaving Jay to numbly follow along.

 _How did that work?_ He thinks incredulously. _Does he really think I'm Hykos?_

Jay knew he wasn't a great actor. Sure, he was good at hiding his feelings, at lying about himself, but he wasn't good at pretending to be other people. He hadn't even managed to change himself to fit what Nya wanted- _Ugh, don't go there._

He bites the inside of his cheek. There's a flash of cold disapproval that stops him before he can draw blood. He feels like laughing, but not out of something funny, not something _happy_ funny at least.

 _What happened?_ He couldn't help but think sadly. _I felt so strong before. I was awesome. So what happened? I feel like I've almost landed back on square one._

 _ **That's because,**_ Jay freezes as Hykos' echoing voice sounds out in his head. _**You're shouldering this burden all by yourself now.**_

It feels like arms move to wrap around his neck, like a hug from behind, but there isn't any warmth and when Jay can force himself to look down there aren't any arms there.

Hykos tsks at him.

 _ **You understood so well before, little Blue Jay.**_ There's a light chuckle accompanying his words. _**You're lightning. A brief flash of light in the dark, gone before anyone even knows you're here.**_

Jay feels paralyzed, a prisoner in his own body. Hykos isn't taking control back just yet, but somehow he's stopping every attempt of Jay's to move, to speak, to _scream._

Anxiety rises high and chokes him, darkness creeps on the edges of his vision, and there's a panicked sputtering of cold in his chest that almost makes him wonder if this is what dying feels like.

 _ **Relax.**_ Hykos whispers, and the sound is so close in his mind that the other might as well be whispering in his ear. _**There's one thing that's always been here, and will always be here. Let it cradle you, to wash away the burden that light brings…**_

It almost sounds nice. The encroaching darkness seems so peaceful right now, dragging him down…

 _Just… just a few minutes._ He thinks, and the cold in his chest gets so intense it _hurts_. It hurts, and the pain brings his mind back into focus enough that he doesn't slip fully. He's no longer in control, the muted sensations are enough to tell him that, and he feels shaken to the core, but he's still here.

"Hm." Hykos hums. It isn't his normal, musical hum, or the one filled with cruel whimsy… but a truly curious one. Hykos holds his hand out, pushes it against his chest until there's a strange feeling and his fingers sink in.

It's like he can feel his own hand touching his chest and…

 _ **No!**_ He cries desperately as he can feel the little snowflake being pulled away. _**No, stop it! Leave him alone!**_

But Hykos doesn't listen, and it feels like there's a gaping hole where the little snowflake has been torn from him. Jay gasps for breath, the pain so much more intense than anything he'd ever felt before, but all he can focus on is the cyan glow in his hand slowly crystalizing before his eyes.

"Now how did that get there?"

 _ **Give… give him back…**_ he says weakly. If he could cry, he thinks he would be right now.

"Hush now." Hykos says sweetly. A mockery of kindness. "This doesn't belong to you, and the one it does belong to must be _dying_ to have it back."

He chuckles, but Jay doesn't understand what's so funny. He feels cold. Not the kind of cold that the little snowflake radiated. That felt kind, this was an empty sort of cold.

Hykos pockets the sliver of softly glowing stone and Jay tries to focus on the feeling of cold it still gives off. It feels so much more passive now. Nothing like the snowflake he'd met before.

* * *

Echo watches Ronin cross off another name off the list with disappointment. Of course finding the shards wasn't going to be easy, but they haven't found any more since their first finding, even with Nya's help. He didn't want to lose his brother.

"What is the next address?" He asks without delay.

"It's getting kind of late…" Nya says softly.

"I will not need to recharge for another twelve hours and twenty four minutes." Echo says determinedly. "I understand if you cannot maintain such a pace, but I do not intend to stop just yet."

"Yeah, well, we're dealing with _people_ Echo." The master of water says with mild agitation. "They aren't going to be very friendly if you wake them up in the middle of the night."

"Nya has a point." Ronin adds. "We can get back on the trail bright and early tomorrow."

Echo hesitates, and then concedes with a small nod. He didn't understand people just yet, so he wouldn't make much progress on his own.

"Good." Nya says with a relieved sigh. "My feet are killing me."

"Have you consulted a doctor about that?" He asks concernedly.

"It's just a figure of speech, you talking toaster."

"I am not a toaster." He huffs.

The other two laugh as they begin to make their way back to the Bounty. Echo tried to join in, but he just didn't feel up to it, nor did he understand how they could be so jovial at such a time.

 _Do they not care?_ But, no, they certainly cared. Both about his brother and Jay. _So then why…?_

Echo didn't understand. Maybe he would, someday, with his brother's help… And he was determined to make sure his brother _would_ be around to help. With that decided he felt a little better. He wouldn't give up so easily, not when someone needed his help.

 _I promise I will fulfill my purpose, father._

* * *

Pixal can't help the little giggle that escapes her when Echo introduces himself to her.

"Hello, I am Echo Zane, but everyone calls me Echo because it is less confusing."

It was adorable. Of course, she gave him her full acronym in return, so maybe she wasn't in a position to judge. He'd been politely curious, asking her questions about herself and her creator, about her past with his brother and whatever else seemed to come to mind.

Eventually they had to shift their focus back onto the task at hand. Quantum detangling wasn't something you could just _do_. Even after they figured out how to do it, it'd likely take resources they didn't have, ones that maybe her creator, Cyrus, did have. But Cyrus was still stuck in a soul stone coma. Until they figured out how to fix that, they couldn't ask for his help…

 _Then again, he would probably understand if I authorized the use of his resources in this matter._ He had helped the ninja before, even at a detriment to himself, and even going so far as to keep that fact to himself. Borg Inc. was still on shaky ground after the nindroid attacks. He needed all of his resources possible to build trust in the company and bring it back to what it once was. _And that's why I cannot do anything more than keep it running as it has before his absence._

Cyrus was her creator, her father, and he never held her back once she realized she was more than just a personal assistant. She wasn't going to turn around and destroy any hope of rebuilding his company, even if it would help the ninja.

 _But I will do everything else in my power to make up for it._ She promised silently. Pixal might not be a ninja. Her alliance might not align with their goals, but she was still their friend. _And if it turns out to be a matter of the fate of the world, then I will do what I believe Cyrus would want and help them._

The network pinged, bringing one of the searches she was running to the forefront of her thoughts. There, on a live camera feed, was Alphonse.

"I have located Alphonse Walker." She announces over the ships intercoms.

End chapter twenty nine


	31. Chapter 30

_Is your wound hurting you?_ That had been the words that had stalled on Cryptor's tongue late last night when his Lord had paused on the way to retrieve the Ultra weapon, seemingly stricken, and then his expression changed to one of simple curiosity. He'd bitten his tongue then, not wanting to incite his Lord's anger any further. He'd already been forgiven for one mistake, he didn't want to have to risk not being forgiven for another.

So he watched as his Lord pushed his hand into his own chest like he was pushing his hand through honey; viscous, but entirely malleable. Without leaving a single trace of a wound he'd pulled his hand out with something small and glowing that quickly turned into a small stone.

A brief moment of panic overtook his usually rational mind as his Lord had thoughtfully said _"Now how did that get there?"_ as he could only think of one way it got there, that being the wound he'd sustained when retrieving the golden armor. Having something like that left behind in the wound could have been deadly.

" _Hush now."_ His Lord had said, almost as if hearing his thoughts. And then, with a chuckle, he went on to say. _"This doesn't belong to you, and the one it does belong to must be_ _ **dying**_ _to have it back."_

That had thrown him off. He wasn't sure what that meant. Had his Lord taken his lingering gaze on the stone as some sort of desire for it? Cryptor knew that the whisperings of the riffraff that could barely be called underlings were wrong. Viperae wasn't crazy, of that the nindroid was sure.

His Lord had dropped the stone into his pocket and dismissed him with a simple wave of the hand. He hadn't asked if the other was still interested in using the Ultra weapon, it was obvious that the stone had changed that, and he didn't seem to think he needed any medical attention… pushing it would have only resulted in angering him.

That didn't mean he worried any less, of course, which was why he was now outside of his Lord's room waiting for a response to his knock. He counted the seconds before another knock would be alright, and was just preparing to knock again when the door opens.

"Did you need something?"

"I came to check on your wound."

"Oh, that?" He says lightly. "It's already healed."

"But it has only been three days." Surely that wasn't enough time for such a wound to heal…

"You underestimate me~." His Lord chuckles. Cryptor is about to bow and ask for forgiveness once more when the ship lurches violently, nearly throwing them both off balance. "…That's odd."

"What is it, my Lord?" The nindroid didn't like the look on the other's face. He seemed worried.

"There's no time, we need to get the Ultra weapon out." He begins to run down the hall, and without further question Cryptor follows. The ship lurches once more, the sky overhead rumbles, and the rocking gets more violent.

* * *

Garmadon paced the deck of the Bounty restlessly. It wasn't usual for him to pace like this, but his attempt to contact Misako had failed. That, in itself, wasn't actually unusual. There were times when there hadn't been anyone around to answer, or when the area they had made camp at was a dead zone. Garmadon was used to waiting for Misako to call him, but that never made it any easier. Especially when it had been so long since he'd last seen her.

He didn't want to burden the ninja with these worries, so he'd shared it with his brother. Wu had said he'd had his doubts about this mission Misako had taken on, that allowing her to go to the dark island by herself was foolish.

He didn't understand that Misako couldn't be swayed when it came to these things, and that he hadn't just let her go on her own. She had a whole crew with her, and she was no novice when it came to ancient ruins. Not to mention the fact that she knew Spinjitzu as well.

Of course he'd told his younger brother all this in no uncertain terms. Wu had stood firm on his position, and they… well, they'd gotten into a bit of a fight.

 _It seems we are always at odds with each other in one way or another._ Garmadon thought bitterly. It had been naïve of him to think that just because he was no longer under the influence of the Great Devourer's venom that things would change for the better. That he could be the husband, father, and older brother he couldn't be before this. But his son had had to grow up quickly in part because of him, losing out on the childhood that he should have had. His brother, despite having had years to find another or to accept that Misako hadn't chosen him, was still in love with her. And his wife… Misako… he knew that she still harbored feelings for Wu. The reveal of his trickery, of his claiming Wu's letter as his own, had only made things between the two of them worse.

 _If I hadn't changed the name on that letter, would she have chosen me?_ That thought, in one form or another, had probably crossed both of the brothers' minds at least once. Misako loved him. Of that, Garmadon was certain. In his weaker moments he'd confessed his worries to her, and she had made it clear that she had no intention of leaving him. She had agreed to marry him for a reason, after all.

But now he was uncertain as to how to proceed. He knew that life was unpredictable, and he'd been fortunate to get as many chances as he did, so he didn't want to waste any time fighting over petty squabbles. Garmadon wasn't willing to admit he was wrong, though. Misako would have gone to the dark island no matter what he'd said to her, no matter what anyone would have said…

"Dad?" Lloyd's voice cuts through his thoughts and he stops to face the green ninja with a small smile.

"Yes, son?" The master of energy studies his father's face for a moment, obviously unconvinced.

"Is something wrong?" Lloyd is smart, something he'd inherited from his father, as well as stubborn; a trait he got from his mother. Garmadon was sure he wouldn't give up until he found out what was wrong or at least got a satisfactory answer.

"It's just that I haven't managed to get any calls through to your mother for a while now." Garmadon holds back a sigh as he continues. "Wu thinks that something may have gone wrong…"

"She's currently investigating the dark island, right?" Lloyd's frown very nearly mirrors his own. "That place could be dangerous…"

"Your mother knows how to defend herself."

"Yeah, but who knows what's on that island." Lloyd bites his lip, worry causing a crease between his brows. "Maybe we should head over there and make sure she's alright?"

 _Or maybe he got his stubbornness from both of us…_ Garmadon can't help but sigh. Lloyd was right. _Wu_ was right. The dark island was dangerous, even for highly trained ninja. Misako could fight, yes, but things could quickly get out of hand...

"What about Viperae?" His question catches Lloyd off guard. "We can't just leave Ninjago defenseless."

He watches as his son thinks it over, glancing down at the mark on his hand that had left him benched until further notice.

"We… we don't all have to go." He eventually decides, looking up with determination. "We could assemble a small group to go and make sure Mom's alright. I mean, we don't know for sure if anything's actually wrong."

"That's a good idea." Garmadon agrees. "Why don't you tell the others while I go tell Wu?"

"Alright." Lloyd nods, and turns to head back into the ship.

 _Now,_ Garmadon thought with only a bit of trepidation. _I have to go admit to my brother that I was wrong._

Hopefully he could manage that without losing too much face…

* * *

"You can count me in." Kai says as soon as Lloyd finishes explaining what he'd talked about with his dad. There was no way Kai was going to sit around here doing nothing and hoping for the best.

"Alright." Lloyd says happily. "I know my dad and uncle are both going to want to go, so that's four people already."

"Four?" Cole questions. "Don't you mean three?"

"Uh, no. Me, Uncle, Dad, and Kai. That's four."

"Lloyd, you can't go." The master of earth tries to say gently.

"Why not?" Lloyd challenges.

"Do you really think you could sit back and do nothing if it turns out that something had happened?" Cole gestures to his hand.

Lloyd hesitates on answering, so Kai speaks up.

"He's right." He knew Lloyd wouldn't be happy to hear it. "Don't forget what'll happen if you slip up."

"…Fine." Lloyd submits with a sour face. "So who else is going to go, then?"

"I am going to stay and keep working on quantum detangling." Zane says.

"And I will stay to help brother." Echo pipes up.

"Not only are the pieces of REX on Ninjago, _not_ the dark island, but I've also got a time sensitive job running." Ronin says with a shrug. Kai didn't expect anything less from a self-serving criminal.

"I… want to go. I really do." Cole runs his fingers through his hair, trying to hide his grimace. "But there's a _lot_ of water between here and the dark island…"

They all turn to Nya, the only one who hasn't spoken up just yet. She looks hesitant.

"I think I'm going to stay…"

"What?" Kai can't help but scoff. "Why? What's so important that you have to stay?"

"It's just-" She cuts herself off, glances over to where Ronin and Echo are standing, and then back at her brother. "You're right. There isn't anything I can tell you that's more important, so I'll go."

Kai wasn't sure why she was hesitating. Unless she wanted to spend more time with that criminal, in which case he was more determined to make sure she went with them. He didn't trust Ronin one bit, and he certainly didn't want his sister anywhere near him.

"Have you all figured out who's going?" Sensei Wu asks as he and Sensei Garmadon enter the room.

"Kai and Nya." Lloyd answers, trying to keep the pout from his voice.

"Is that all?" Sensei Wu asks, looking a bit surprised.

"Everyone else has reasons to stay." Lloyd can't help but glance down at his palm, the one with the symbol.

"I see…" Sensei Wu strokes his beard as he thinks. "Four people is not a lot. Perhaps we should call for some assistance?"

"We could call Skylor!" Kai says before his mind can catch up with his mouth. "I mean, she knows what's going on, so we wouldn't have to explain that much…"

Yep, he definitely played that one off well. There was _no way_ the others would misconstrue his words.

"Yeah, I'm sure Kai's girlfriend would be willing to help." Cole shoots Kai a teasing smile, which is greeted with a glare.

"That should be enough." Wu agrees. "Let's not waste any more time. There are preparations that need to be made."

"Yes, Sensei." The ninja all reply.

* * *

Echo follows his brother and slips into the backseat of his car. The others had decided that it was best for those going to the dark island to take the Bounty, since it was faster than any ship. Those who were staying would use their vehicles to travel, should they need to, and would be staying in one of Nya's 'secret hideouts.' Of course, Echo didn't think it counted as a secret if everyone seemed to know about it, but maybe it was just a secret to everyone outside the group? Aside from Ronin, since they talked about it freely in front of him.

They had everything they needed to keep researching, all the materials they were given had been packed away, along with some extra clothes and whatever else they may need. Echo looks down at the phone in his hand, the one that his brother was allowing him to borrow for the moment, and then carefully opened the app for Pixal.

"Hello, Echo." Pixal's face appears on the small screen with a warm smile.

"Hello, Pixal." He returns her greeting with his own smile.

"Do you require my assistance?"

"No." He admits a little guiltily. "I was just wondering about something."

"What were you wondering about?" She doesn't seem bothered by his constant questions at all. "I have access to a vast amount of information, so even if I do not know the answer, I can look it up."

"W-well, your main AI is on the Bounty… will we still be able to talk if you're so far away?" He liked talking to her, even if they had just met. She was nice and didn't make him feel like the questions he asked were weird or bothersome.

"I am not sure." She admits. "There is a chance that the distance between the islands will be too far for any communications."

"Oh."

"But it will be a long trip, even with the Bounty, so we can talk until we reach that point."

"You would not mind?"

"Not at all." She gives him a warm smile. "You asked a lot of questions about me before, but I would like to know more about you."

"Of course!" The bronze nindroid pauses. He had never really explained himself to others before. Was there a specific place you were supposed to start? Well, the beginning would make sense. "I was created by Julian. He created Zane as well, which is why we are brothers…"

They continue to talk like this for hours, he explains his life leading up to the ninja finding him, and then him having to find them. She would sometimes ask him questions about it, and most he had answers for, but there was one he did not.

"Why do you remember a future that no longer exists?"

That he didn't have any answer to.

End chapter thirty

* * *

AN: Wow, already at chapter thirty! ...Well, if you don't count the prologue, that is. Time sure does fly. I'd like to thank everyone who reads, follows, and reviews this story of mine! Seeing how much you all enjoy it is really uplifting. ^u^ Having said that, we're actually getting close to the current chapter I'm in the middle of writing, so I may have to reduce the updates to once a week until I finish this story so I don't catch up. If I decide to do that, I'll post a poll so you all can choose what day you'd like to see a new chapter. I'll be working to avoid that, though, so wish me luck!

-Kit Brightside


	32. Chapter 31

Lloyd stares down at the mark on his hand bitterly. How was it that this always seemed to happen? Just when the stakes were at their highest he'd become useless, or get captured, or _possessed_ … and now this happened. He was completely able bodied, but entirely useless to his team and his family unless he wanted to die right after whatever move he made.

 _I was more useful when I was a kid…_ Lloyd clenches his fists at the thought. _At least then I could help._

It had been hard seeing his family and two of his friends off, to go on a rescue mission without him. The temptation to stow away on board was hard to ignore. If he were a little younger, less mature, then he might've gone ahead and done it. But Lloyd knew that the others were right; there was no way that he could just stand back and do nothing if things went wrong.

So here he was, standing around Nya's 'secret' base uselessly while everyone else was actually doing something that could help… or doing whatever it is that Ronin does in his free time. Probably trying to make a quick buck. Or find the parts to his ship. Wait, was REX a ship or an airplane? It wasn't shaped like a ship, but it wasn't exactly shaped like an airplane either…

"Is everything alright?" Echo interrupts the green ninja's ponderings.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, everything's fine." Lloyd can barely keep the frustration out of his voice.

"Are you certain? Your expression just now did not seem to indicate happiness."

"Yes, I _am_." Lloyd snaps, and then immediately feels bad by the hurt look on the nindroid's face. "Sorry. Listen, I'm not happy, but I _am_ fine. Alright?"

"Alright." Echo agrees, although he seems a little confused by the green ninja's words. "I was sent to inform you that we were going to go talk to Alphonse Walker."

"Jay's uncle?" Lloyd perks up a little bit. "Why didn't you say so sooner?"

Lloyd doesn't hear the bronze nindroid's response, or if he even responded, as he hurried over to the vehicles. He wasn't sure how much of a help he could be, likely he'd hang back while the nindroid brothers asked most of the technical questions, but it beat sitting around here feeling sorry for himself.

* * *

Water rushing out of his mouth is the first thing Jay becomes aware of as his mind seems to snap back into place. Then he's coughing, enough to cause his sides to become sore from the strain. He shifts, moves to push himself up, and then freezes.

There's a feeling of sand between his fingers, and for the first time in his life that sends a jolt of fear down his spine. He'd lost. He was back in that world of endless sand and he was going to slowly lose himself again.

 _ **Open your eyes.**_ Hykos' says admonishingly. Jay does as he says and opens his eyes to look at the sand that his fingers are slipping into. It's a bright white, with little variants of color now and then, like someone ground down a stone into the tiniest pebbles and mixed them into the little, white grains.

Relief and confusion hits him all at once. Looking up he sees what appears to be a jungle further inland, and now that he's paying attention he can hear the ocean behind him. Every now and then the waves reach high enough to brush his feet.

"What…" Speaking causes him to cough again, although not as badly as before. "What happened?"

 _ **There was a storm.**_ Hykos says almost flatly. It's almost disconcerting to hear him speak without any of the mischievous inflection he usually used. _**The ship wrecked.**_

"Oh, right…" Jay says absentmindedly. "I remember feeling one approaching before."

 _ **You did?**_ Jay catches a hint of surprise from the other, which was odd. If Hykos had access to all his powers, shouldn't he be able to feel the approaching storm?

A thought suddenly struck Jay and he quickly checked his pocket. It's with mounting relief that he pulls out the small stone. The little snowflake was still here. Jay wasn't sure what he'd do if the snowflake had been lost, even if he couldn't communicate with it anymore.

"It'll be alright." He says softly. He carefully places the stone back into his pocket, barely noticing the chill it radiates. His legs feel a little wobbly when he stands up. Getting a better look around, Jay notes the broken pieces of wood that have washed up on shore.

 _ **Feeling better?**_ Hykos asks in a way that almost sounds genuinely kind.

"Barely." Jay scoffs. His throat feels a little sore, and boy is he thirsty now that he thinks about it, but there are more pressing matters at hand. "We're on the Dark Island, aren't we?"

 _ **Considering that's where we were closer to of the two land masses, that's a safe assumption, yes.**_ Again, strangely flat considering the speaker. Almost normal.

"…There's a chance we're not on the Dark Island?" Jay wasn't sure which outcome was worse.

 _ **No.**_ Hykos says bluntly. _**There's nowhere else we could possibly be.**_

"How can you be so sure?"

 _ **The darkness here…**_ Hykos trails off, and Jay gets the impression he's searching for the right words. _**There's too much of it to be anywhere else.**_

"Oooookay." Jay drawls a little skeptically. "How do you know there's so much darkness here? I mean, it _is_ a little dark, but that's just because it's early morning. Or getting later into the evening. We'll find out which in a few hours, and depending on which it'll either be bright or _super_ dark!"

 _ **You can't feel it?**_ Now Hykos' surprise was undeniably there. _**Even though it's so**_ **active** _**right now?**_

"Active?" Jay isn't sure what the other is talking about, but it does make him wonder. "Is that why you haven't taken back control just yet?"

There's a silence from the other for a while, and then, quietly, almost as if he never meant for Jay to hear, he says.

 _ **I don't want to just yet.**_

Jay isn't sure what that means, aside from him having full reign of his own body for the time being, and he debates whether asking would only push the other to take control that much sooner. It's after what feels like the fiftieth dry swallow while he thinks it over that he decides to let it go and focus on making sure he wasn't going to die out here.

Step one: fresh water.

* * *

"Hey." This is the great opening line that Kai had been debating over for the last hour. The sight of Skylor leaning against the railing of the Bounty, back dropped by an endless expanse of sparkling water and a flaming sunset sky had left him bereft of his usual wit.

"Hey." Skylor replies, turning to look at him as he moves to join her. Her smile is easy, the wind lightly ruffling her hair. "…Did you need something?"

He was staring. He had to say something, anything, otherwise he'd look like a creep, or a fool, or even a creepy fool!

"Oh, uh, I just wanted to ask if you had any idea what was in the crate." Kai silently curses his mouth for going to the first thing that pops into his head, but he's in too deep to change topics now. "I mean, what kind of tea is that heavy?"

"Even tea leaves can weigh a lot in such huge amounts." Skylor shrugs, looking thoughtful. "Although I've never ordered a batch as big as that, since we don't stock more than a month's worth at a time."

"Yeah?" Is Kai's genius answer. Truly, no other man is such a master at conversation as he is.

"Yeah." She confirms. Then there's silence while Kai struggles to find the right words to keep the conversation going.

"Kai?" The master of fire nearly jumps out of his skin as his sister's voice interrupts his thoughts, and he has to take a second before he can turn to the doorway and look at his sister as if he were entirely nonchalant. "The tea is ready."

"Of course." He sighs. Turning to Skylor, who's smirking at him for some reason, he 'smoothly' excuses himself with a "Duty calls."

"Duty?" She parrots with a quirked eyebrow. "I didn't know your Sensei was so serious about tea that it was mandatory."

"Wha-? Wait, no, that isn't why I have to drink that awful excuse for tea." Kai hurriedly corrects the restaurant owner.

"Oh?" Now both her eyebrows are up. "And why would you have to drink a 'horrible excuse for tea?'"

He hesitates, glancing over to his sister. It wasn't entirely his story to tell, since he didn't exactly remember what has been dubbed 'the future that never happened.'

"Come on," Nya sighs, rolling her eyes. "we can talk about it over tea; otherwise it'll get cold."

Kai does his best not to let the disgust show on his face as they head into the dining area, where two cups of tea are already steaming away, along with a pitcher of water for Kai to try to wash away the taste of the tea afterwards. He'd have to thank her for that later.

"Would you like something to drink?" Kai offers.

"I'll just take some water, thanks."

"Alright." Kai moves to pour her a glass, but before he can Nya has already manipulated some into the glass sitting nearby and shoves it forward with a curt.

"Here."

"Uh, thanks." Skylor says, taken aback.

Kai gives his sister a questioning look, but she ignores him, picks up her cup, and says.

"Technically this all got its start in the future."

"I'm not sure if it counts as the future at this point." Kai says as he reluctantly picks up his own cup. The glare he gets from his sister is enough for him to know his input isn't wanted. He stays as quiet as he can while she goes over the future that never happened, only piping up to say how ingenious he was to use his social media like that. Eventually she gets to the part where he can _actually_ contribute because he was there. He speaks up a lot more then, especially to mention just how annoying that forest spirit Hiroshi was. At this point he's already grabbed himself another glass so he could pour himself a glass of water, and not long after they've finished explaining.

Skylor is silent at first, and then she says.

"Well... that's quite the revelation."

"Yeah." Kai agrees. "It, uh, it can be a little hard to wrap my head around sometimes. Especially the weird time travel stuff that happened, or whatever. I mean, I never really got to see the guy, so I don't really get the whole 'reality bending' bit…" Kai knew he was rambling now, and he wasn't sure why, but he felt like he could trust Skylor. "It's hard to imagine that I could be part of the reason our lives have been… harder? But, like, with a guaranteed good ending."

"Kai." Nya says sternly, breaking Kai out of his thoughts, breaking whatever spell had seemingly come over him, and bringing on a flush of embarrassment.

"It's alright." Skylor says gently. "I can understand. You thought you knew everything about the world, about yourself… but then you learn not only about a heritage you never knew you had, but also that it's been subtly influencing your and your friend's lives. And even if this tea will fix that, there's a worry that you aren't strong enough. That the only reason you succeeded in the first place is because of that power, and now that you're without it, there's a chance you'll fail."

Kai's struck silent by Skylor's words. She'd managed to sum up feelings he hadn't been able to put into words all this time in just a few sentences.

"Yeah…" He says softly. "That's exactly it."

"It isn't exactly the same as your situation," Skylor looks thoughtful as she speaks. "but I went through something similar after you all defeated my father." She takes a slow sip of her water, and then seems to steel herself for her next words. "After I'd lost my powers, and my father, I was overwhelmed by everything. I had control of not only the 'Chen's Noodle House' chain, but his underground cult as well. While I had an idea of what I wanted to do, putting it into action was harder than I thought. Breaking up the cult was the hardest part, because I knew these people, some of them had even baby sat me when I was little. They weren't bad people… just misguided. I wanted to help them, as many of them as I could, so I told them that I'd do my best to give them all jobs in the restaurant. Not all of them accepted, of course, and even for those who did agree, some of them just couldn't adjust to a normal life. On top of that, the brand had been hurt by my father's actions, and even without money going into the cult and whatever else my dad wanted the business was losing money. It got to the point that I ended up selling the island and auctioning off a lot of my father's things… I was so in over my head."

"Really?" Kai's brows pinch. "But, why didn't you call? I mean, if there was anything I could have done-"

"That's very kind of you," She cuts him off with a soft smile. "but I _needed_ to get things under control myself. Or that's what I kept telling myself. After everything my father had put you all through, it seemed wrong to ask anything more of you all." She lets out a self-deprecating chuckle. "It got to the point that I started wondering if I'd lose everything and end up having to resort to being a muscle for hire just to get by."

"…But Chen's is doing better than ever now, so you must have been able to turn things around." She'd even mentioned expanding the business.

"It is. It took a lot of work; I had to research business and restaurant management. Although I can't take all the credit. Some other owners gave me some advice, and Dareth actually went on television and talked about why he loved the puffy pot stickers, which helped to improve the restaurant's image, even if that wasn't his intention." She takes another sip of water. "With all that, I was able to turn things around."

"…So, as long as I keep working I'll eventually be able to fix everything?" Kai asks a little skeptically.

"Feeling lost and afraid that you won't be able to fix things is normal." She fixes the master of fire with a hard stare. "But you aren't alone in this. You have your friends, your sister, and your Sensei. You don't have to do this alone."

"Right…" He replies a little sheepishly. He knew that, the last bit at least, but, well, somehow it was nice to hear. "Thanks."

"If you ever want to talk," Skylor rests a hand on his shoulder and gives him an encouraging smile. "I'm here."

"A- _hem_." Sensei Wu clears his throat, catching the attention of everyone in the room. "I suggest you all go to bed soon. We'll arrive in the early morning, so I don't want to hear any complaints about being tired."

"Yes, Sensei." Kai and Nya say simultaneously.

End chapter thirty one

* * *

AN: Thanks to everyone who's read, reviewed, and favorited my story so far! It's uplifting to know how much you're all enjoying my story. Of course, (although I haven't said so before) constructive criticism is always welcome. ^u^

-Kit Brightside


	33. Chapter 32

"Alphonse?" Lloyd calls out while knocking rapidly on the man's door. "It's us, Jay's friends. We need to ask you some more questions."

It feels like several long moments pass before he answers the door. Lloyd again can't help but notice the other man's unkempt state, not helped by his wide eyed stare.

"What are you doing here?" He nearly hisses at them before leaning out to look down the hallway, presumably to check for any other people. "Hurry, come inside."

He ushers them in and, wow, if the man was unkempt then his apartment was a _mess_. Lloyd didn't even know where to start, there were just books everywhere, loose papers, strange looking odds and ends that he couldn't place a purpose or a point to, and even a few glittering stones. It was chaos…

"You can, ah, move…" Alphonse looks around his apartment, seemingly lost in his own home. "Why don't we speak in the kitchen? I'll make coffee, or tea!"

The kitchen, like you might expect, was separated from another room by just a counter and some cupboards. The odd part was that it seemed to open into his bedroom rather than a living room.

"Uh… nice place?" Cole says weakly.

"It's alright, there's no need to lie." Alphonse says a little hurriedly, and Lloyd only caught the embarrassment because of the tone's similarity to Jay's. "This _was_ meant to be the sitting room, but the front door opened into the bedroom and I didn't like that, so… anyway, what would you like?"

"Coffee, please." Cole says quickly.

"Whatever tea you have will be fine, thank you." Zane says, quickly followed by Echo, well, echoing the sentiment.

"I'm good." Lloyd says as soon as Alphonse turns to him.

"Alright, I guess you and I are the only ones having coffee, then." The man says to Cole with a halfhearted smile.

"Alphonse." Cole says seriously. "We need to talk about your findings."

"Oh?" His interest sounds forced, and he quickly begins busying himself with making the drinks. "Were you unable to figure the material out?"

"That isn't it." Cole turns to Zane, cueing the nindroid to step in, as this was his area of expertise.

"After going over what you've given us, we've arrived at one conclusion." With both the kettle on the stove and the coffee pot heating up, Alphonse has nothing else to keep his attention, and so he had to face the titanium nindroid's piercing stare. "You lied to us. Quantum entanglement causes two separate things to effect one another, something that would continue even after the two were detangled. Given how important this is to you, and your level of intelligence, I doubt that you would have overlooked this fact."

"So why did you tell us Jay would die if we detangled their souls?" Cole finishes.

Alphonse looks between all of their faces, looking uncertain, before sighing.

"You don't understand… What I did all those years ago? It was the equivalent of throwing a pebble at a raging bear and hoping it'd die, or finding a needle in a haystack the size of the ocean!" He closes his eyes for a moment, takes a breath, and then slowly goes on. "I had no reason to believe that it would work… and even if it did, the results I would have gotten were worse than just letting him go. But in that moment… I convinced myself that it'd work. That it _already_ had. But do you know what happened to every other recorded case of the ritual?"

"The ritual that the Anacondrai were said to perform?" Zane's eyebrows pinched. "It created the great devourer."

"…Not them." Alphonse seems distressed just thinking about it. "But their ritual was based on that. 'If they could create a god, why can't we?' that was their thought process… but their methods… they…"

He removes his glasses and rubs at his eyes.

"…They what?" Lloyd presses after some time had gone by.

"…they would kill the person they wanted to use the ritual on first, because that made it more likely to take." The coffee maker starts to pour the steaming liquid into the pot. Alphonse glances over at it but his eyes don't seem to focus on anything, and he's blinking back tears. "Not every person was willing… and some were children. Not a single one ever lasted more than a week… this… _thing_ ate them alive. Destroyed them from the inside out. They literally decayed before our eyes, turning to a black sludge, their minds ravaged to the point that they didn't even know who they were or where."

Alphonse takes a deep, shuddering breath, and in the pause that creates, Lloyd finds his voice softly breaks the silence.

"… _Our_ eyes?" Alphonse nods that the master of energy's question, appearing to brace himself for their reaction. "You were a part of a child murdering cult?"

He grips his arm, the sleeve visibly wrinkling under his fingers.

"I didn't realize what they were at first." His voice was rough. "I thought they were just as interested in magic as I was."

"Yet you just stood by and watched as they killed people? Killed _children_?"

"I couldn't do anything…" His voice is weak. "I tried to save them, to detangle their souls from its grip, but nothing I did worked. They always died. They always suffered…"

His shoulders began to shake.

"It shouldn't have gotten that far in the first place." Lloyd's voice is hard. "You should have left, should have told the authorities!"

"I tried!" He glares vaguely in Lloyd's direction, face red and blinking back tears. "I tried to leave… but I knew too much. I wish they killed me, _god,_ do I wish they'd killed me… but I was useful. So they targeted her instead."

Lloyd wasn't sure what was on his face, couldn't even say what he was feeling, but Cole put a calming hand on his shoulder and gave him this _look_ that told him to reel it in, and carefully asked Alphonse.

"Her?"

"They killed Storm because of me. It's my fault my brother lost his daughter, how could I cause the death of another child of theirs? He was so young, so small, what else could I do? They'd said they'd keep on killing them until there was no one left if I kept disobeying." He was full on sobbing, struggling to get his words out between gasping breaths. "I thought… I thought I could keep them safe…"

Lloyd felt his heart twist. He didn't know what to say… or how to feel.

"We can protect you." Cole, master of earth that he was, kept level headed and calm. "You, and the Walkers…"

"There's no more hope for me. I'm dead." Alphonse immediately shakes his head. "I died that day. It's better this way… I can't hurt them if I'm dead."

Cole carefully steps closer to the shaking man, trying to catch his eye.

"That isn't true." He carefully reaches out and lays a hand on the others shoulder. "And I know your family misses you."

"…you need to leave."

"Alphonse-"

"Don't come back here. This-, this place belongs to them." He looks up, red eyes trying to focus on Lloyd's face. "I could never make it work, but you've already done it once before. The ritual might have been different, but the result was the same."

"What-?"

There's a heavy knocking at the door.

"They're here to check in on me." He pushes through the ninja and heads for the door. "Leave before they see you, they can't know where that shard went, what I actually did with it."

And with that he's gone.

The ninja all look at each other before Cole softly says.

"We'll come back."

A solemn nod between brothers, and then they're silently sneaking their way out of the window, leaving behind a full pot of coffee and a whistling kettle.

* * *

"I told you..." Jay says between puffs of breath. " _Super_ dark."

 _ **Yes.**_ He could practically feel the other rolling his eyes. _**Your prediction that the sun would go down was spot on.**_

Jay ignored the flare of irritation the comment brought up, which wasn't easy when one was struggling to light a campfire in the near pitch black darkness… and also thirsty still. He'd been hesitant to go too far into the jungle just yet, and the chances of finding fresh water near the shoreline? Yeah, not likely. So he'd have to rig a rudimentary water purifier to remove the salt from the water… or, more accurately, remove the water from the salt, since he'd be boiling it down and trying to 'catch' the steam and divert the resulting condensation into another container. Getting all the supplies he'd needed for that has resulted in him wasting most of the daylight he had, which left little time to set it up. After that was the firewood, which, unfortunately, had to be whatever driftwood he'd found on the beach, as the jungle was now so dark Jay couldn't help but imagine voracious monsters creeping at its edge, just waiting for him to step close enough before they snapped him up in their menacing jaws-

 _ **Stop that.**_ Hykos demanded, snapping Jay out of the thoughts preoccupying his mind. He was vaguely aware of the fact that his hands were shaking, and felt his spirit drop a bit. He was a _ninja_ , a _master of lightning,_ and had faced countless dangers! It was stupid for him to be scared of the dark, of all things…

"Hey, Hykos?" Jay calls out softly. "When you said the darkness here was active… just what did you mean?"

 _ **Hm?**_ Hykos hums, a normal, thoughtful hum, but its close enough to his usually musical voice that it's a bit comforting to hear. _**How much do you know about this place?**_

"Uh…" Jay wracked his brain for any information about the Dark Island. "It used to be submerged, before Sensei Garmadon brought it back up as part of some evil plot to… I'm not sure, actually. Oh, and it was before he became our sensei, and the Overlord was kinda here, in some sort of machine I think, and he took over Sensei Garmadon through a magic helmet!"

 _ **I see.**_ Did Jay detect a hint of a chuckle in Hykos' words? _**This island has a long history, but the most important fact you need to know is that the island is infected with its own strain of the darkness.**_

"Strain… of darkness?" Jay had no idea what the other meant by that. Idly, the image of black sand comes to mind, reaching out to try and pull him under and swallow him whole.

 _ **Like the strains of a virus.**_ Hykos says plainly. _**The first strain is highly deadly, almost incurable, but due to that the infection doesn't spread with any sort of speed. Not under its own power, at least. Later strains evolved to be much more infectious, at the cost of its power, of course.**_

"Wait." A thought strikes Jay in that moment. "Do you mean to say that the river of darkness that the Overlord used-?" When he was spreading his darkness, when he'd infected almost the entirety of Ninjago…

 _ **Yes. That river is a tangible form of the darkness.**_ Hykos sounded impressed, which Jay wasn't sure he understood. _**Able to spread a lesser form of the infection.**_

Jay's stomach twists uncomfortably, he slips a hand (which was only shaking from the lingering fear he'd felt before, or dehydration, he assures himself) into his pocket, and carefully grips the little snowflake. Its edges dig into his palm and the chill sinks into his skin like a spike. It's just as he takes a deep, calming breath that something pushes its way up his throat. He retches, free hand instinctually flying up to try and stop it futilely, and he tastes something sickeningly sweet (and all too familiar) on his tongue.

 _ **Blue jay…**_ Hykos actually sounds out and out worried, and that makes Jay even more nervous. _**You need to rest.**_

"But…" The words seem to slur on his tongue, as both it and his throat is beginning to feel numb.

 _ **You'll be fine once this passes.**_ Hykos says softly, almost sadly. _**Trust me.**_

Jay's mind refuses to process this. It's starting to shut down into panic mode, he knows that, but without his friends around to snap him out of it, to keep him grounded, he isn't sure how long it'll take for his higher mind to return to him.

Hykos begins to hum a soft, pointless, almost erratic sounding tune, but it gives him something to focus on. His body feels heavy, and he just lays down for a second before the world seems to blink out of existence.

* * *

"That toaster better thank me when this is over." Ronin grumbles. He'd managed to acquire four more shards, and nearly avoided almost as many dog maulings. Why did so many eccentric rich people have guard dogs anyway? Okay, no, he understood exactly why. Too bad for them Ronin always got what he was after.

Glancing at his watch, Ronin considered what to do next. A good thief always knew never to carry more than you're willing to lose, so it'd probably be best to head back to the base… and it wasn't like any of REX's parts were around here anyway.

As the criminal turns he manages to spot the ninja, which is surprising. For all their talk of being there to 'protect the people' or whatever other nonsense they liked to tell themselves, the group never really wandered outside of the nice suburbia's they'd most likely grown up in. So that meant they were here on business, then.

Quickening his pace, Ronin quickly pulled up next to Echo, who was trailing behind the others. Immediately he picked up on the stony silence of the group. All of the ninja seemed stiff, even Echo seemed a bit off.

"Hey," He whispers to the bronze nindroid, although he's certain that the others could still hear him. "Care to share why it is that everyone's got their panties in a bunch?"

"Why would anyone bunch up their undergarments?" Echo, of course, doesn't understand the simple analogy. "It sounds neither comfortable, nor ideal for washing."

"That's the point." He huffs. "Come on, you don't want to be replaced by a newer model of microwave, do you?"

"I am not a microwave." Echo huffs right back. "And my brother would never replace me."

"Yeah, whatever." He rolls his eyes. "Just tell me what's gotten into all of you."

Echo takes a moment, turning to look at the others, who have all seemed to pull away ahead of them. Ronin didn't know if it was because they'd slowed down or because the ninja just weren't in the mood to hear their banter. Eventually Echo seemed to decide that it was alright to share with the criminal.

"We found out some troubling information about Jay's uncle." Echo looks conflicted. "I should not have walked away. It is my duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves…"

That explained almost nothing.

"So his uncle is some kind of damsel in distress, and you're upset that you couldn't help." He raised an eyebrow at the younger nindroid.

"A damsel would refer to a woman, so I do not believe it is possible for-"

"You know what I meant." He cut the other off, which, if his little frown was anything to go by, he didn't appreciate. "Just what kind of mess did he get into that you lot couldn't just sweep in and fix?"

He knew his tone was a touch bitter, but the other wasn't the best at parsing tones, so he likely didn't even realize.

"We would need more than a broom to help Alphonse." Echo says seriously, appearing a bit troubled. "There is a group that is threatening his family in order to ensure that he complies with their demands."

"He's being hassled by the mob?" He can't help the disbelief. It sounded too… normal. "Wait, don't tell me, is it actually a cult?"

"I do not know if they would classify as a cult." Echo's face turned almost comically serious as he thought it over. "Aside from believing they could create a god, Alphonse did not speak of their beliefs."

"That's definitely a cult." Ronin bit back a hiss. The mob was one thing. He'd dealt with enough loan sharks to know how bad that could be, but cults… cults often dabbled in magic, and only the foolish or the desperate went to them to ask for help. He knew all too well the games they played, and, despite his assumptions, he still hadn't fully washed his hands clean of those ties. That damn monster wearing Jay's face had proven that much.

Echo stopping in his tracks brought him out of his thoughts, and his following statement brought the ninjas' attention to him as well.

"I am going back." He seemed determined. "I cannot in clear conscious walk away from someone who cannot protect themselves."

The ninja all share a look, the heavy atmosphere still clung to them, but they all wore that same determined look that Echo wore.

"I was just about to say the same thing." Lloyd says.

"We can't just go barging in there without a plan." Cole says.

"Someone will have to go and collect Jay's parents, along with any others who might be a target." Zane adds.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Ronin can't help but interrupt the baffling display the ninja were all putting on right now. "I'm not sure what's going on in your heads, or whatever it is that you all saw in there, but do you really think it's wise to go and take on a cult you know nothing about?"

"I was made to protect those who cannot protect themselves." The stupid rust bucket says without hesitation.

"We're ninja." The green moron says with a shrug. "Saving people is what we do. And besides, we've faced cults before."

"I'm pretty sure you weren't down three members then." Ronin argues.

"We aren't going to be fighting them, anyway." The master of rocks for brains replies. "We're just going to sneak Alphonse out of there."

"If even one of you slips up, and they see you, you'll all be a target for them!" Ronin hisses. "And if you _think_ that they'll leave your families out of this just because you're ninja, think again. These kinds of people exploit any and every weakness they can to get what they want."

"Will you help us?" He meets the mechanical blunder's eyes with disbelief. "Although I must assure you, that we will be doing this with or without your help, your highness."

"…What?" Ronin studies the other's face closely. While he appeared to be talking to the criminal, there was no way he was even aware of what was around him.

"Not again." Cole grumbles while Echo worriedly hurries to his brother's side.

"I can assure you that you will be in no danger." Zane makes a motion to someone who isn't there. "You two are close enough in height and build that, if you two exchanged cloaks and clothes, no one would be any the wiser."

"Brother?" Echo calls tentatively. Zane turns to him and places a hand on his shoulder, causing the other to smile.

"It'll be fine. No one expects you to have to act like a diplomat." The older nindroid's kind sounding words causes the younger's face to fall. "I promise."

"Brother, you need to wake up." Echo looks into his eyes pleadingly, shifting uncomfortably under the other's hand. Ronin can see frost beginning to form on the bronze nindroid, spreading from the other's fingers, and suddenly the chill in the air feels much more ominous.

"Hey, Zane-" Cole goes to put his own hand on the titanium nindroid's shoulder, but ends up pulling his hand back with a hiss. "Geez, you're freezing!" His gaze quickly lands on the younger nindroid, concern in his gaze. "Are you alright, Echo?"

"I was designed to withstand extreme temperatures." It wasn't quite an answer, and it was a bit surprising that the naïve nindroid even knew how to dodge a question…

" _Fuck_!" Ronin lets out the curse as a stabbing pain suddenly appears in his side. He claws at it and finds little bits of ice clinking down to the ground. He knows what's causing this, and he hurriedly pulls out the soul shards he'd collected with quickly numbing fingers.

It was like holding pure ice, even with the cloth surrounding them. When he roughly pushes them into master of ice responsible for this chill, he's no better. It was like he'd taken his element and filled his veins with it, not that the nindroid _had_ veins… probably. Either way, it seems to break him out of whatever trance he was in, as he clutches the shards close to his chest while looking around in confusion, blinking a tad owlishly.

"What was that?" Ronin demands. His side was still stinging from the sudden assault of cold, and his fingers were red as if he'd spend hours outside working in the middle of winter. He'd heard about some of this, and the shards had been cool to the touch before, but they hadn't done _that_ before. If that was a risk of happening again, he'd have to take some preventative measures…

"I'd like to know that, too." Cole says slowly, turning to the white ninja. "You've been hiding something, I know it, but right now we can't afford to have secrets like this."

Zane meets the other's eyes guiltily, but there's a hard set to his shoulders, as well.

"It isn't important." And boy, it was almost weird to hear him speaking like a normal person. "Right now we have bigger things to worry about."

"Zane, this _is_ important." The master of earth says stubbornly. "Not just because I'm worried about you, but what if this had happened earlier, back in Alphonse's apartment?"

"…There was a chance that whoever had come to check on Alphonse would have found us." The titanium nindroid, like any machine, was logical. He knew the outcomes, could likely give everyone the statistical risks, and yet he seemed hesitant to share whatever glitch had gone wrong with his programming.

Of course, how easy is it to tell people you're slowly dying because you lost pieces of your soul? Even if it was only a power source, and not his actual soul… Ronin wasn't sure which was more likely.

"Zane." The green ninja looks at the master of ice pleadingly. "This is obviously serious…"

"Brother, I do not think it is wise to keep this secret any longer." Echo looks distressed, and as Zane takes in each of their faces, his shoulders seem to sink another inch lower and he eventually sighs.

"You're right…" He looks at the bundle of shards, a complex expression appearing on his face, almost appearing like he's in pain. "I'm sorry, it was wrong of me to hide this from you all for so long."

"We need to regroup." Cole says after taking in a long breath. "Let's head back, you'll tell us whatever it is that's you've been hiding, and we can figure out our next move from there."

There's silent agreement, until-

"I cannot abandon someone who cannot protect themselves." Echo says. He still appears worried for his brother, but his determination was no less then when he said it before.

"Echo…" Zane hesitates. "We will not be leaving forever. We are merely going to make sure that we have everything necessary to ensure everyone's safety in this endeavor."

Echo barely seems mollified by that, but he relents, and they all head back towards Nya's secret base.

End chapter thirty two

* * *

AN: So, I totally forgot to mention this when the name first came up, but Garmadon's first name 'Jun' was thought up by Lilly Westella, another fanfiction author on this site. She told me the name she thought up for him, and so even thought I don't think she's used the name in any of her works yet, credit goes to her for creating the name! Ah, I feel a little guilty for forgetting to mention it before now, especially since she's helped me with braining storming and bouncing ideas off of her for this story... n

While I'm here, I'll take this time to yet again thank every who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. It's nice to know that you all are enjoying my story so far.

-Kit


	34. Chapter 33

Storm clouds hung above the dark island as the Destiny's Bounty found a place to weigh anchor, guided entirely by pixal, as the ninja (and Skaylor) were still waking up. Wu himself might have been in the same state had he actually slept, instead of spending the night meditating.

He'd had a bad feeling about this since before Misako had left for the dark island. Wu cursed himself for not being more adamant about Misako not going… Of course, he really had no say, did he? Misako had talked it over with her husband, his brother, and that was all that mattered.

Misako was the mother of his nephew, the wife of his brother, and a good friend… and she could be nothing more to him.

 _Not now that Garmadon has returned, at least._ Guilt followed that thought closely. These thoughts were common, and always troubling when they popped up. Wu could so clearly recall a time in their youth that he would have given anything for his older brother to have seen reason and turned his life around. Now? Their relationship was strained, at best. _If only he hadn't stolen my letter to Misako…_

But would that have truly changed anything in their relationship? Wu wasn't sure. There was so much strife between them, more so than just Misako, years of fighting each other and traded insults had driven a wedge between them that had only deepened when the deception regarding the letter had come out.

It was entirely selfish of him, a part that he was far from proud of, especially when he saw how much his brother's absence had hurt Lloyd… but a part of him wished Garmadon had never returned.

So now he was meditating, not only hoping to reach some sort of resolve in his feelings, but also to try and figure out just what it was that was nagging at him so badly about this. Something about the Dark Island was different, that much was clear…

"Brother?" Garmadon's voice was carefully neutral, as it always was in their interactions now. "Everyone is preparing to disembark."

"Of course." Wu's own voice carried that same carefully neutral tone as he replied. "I will join you in a moment."

After his brother left, Wu slowly moved to stand and headed deeper into the ship, where they stored their non-perishable supplies. There were extra blankets, a lot of glittering scrap metals that Jay had collected that he didn't have space for in his lab, along with some of his inventions (a fact that Wu might have admonished the blue ninja for at one point, before he had come to understand just how useful Jay's inventions could be), old scrolls he'd managed to salvage from his father's temple after it'd burned down, and, now, the crate that he'd had the ninja bring in.

"Hopefully I am wrong." He says thoughtfully. "Hopefully I will not have need of you."

The sky overhead rumbles once more, and a strong wind buffets the ship, causing it to tilt sideways. Before Wu has a chance to recover his footing, the ship is rocked back the other way, and he can hear the Destiny's Bounty groaning under the strain.

The sky lets out one long, ominous rumble before it lets loose its chaos upon the ship. The Destiny's Bounty is tossed about like a toy on a string as the anchor's chain is pulled taught, until it finally snaps. It's all Wu can do to keep from getting hit by the flying debris as all sense of up and down is lost.

There's a sound of smashing, the crate he'd had the ninja bring in cracking after a particularly hard hit, and Wu bats away a flying item with his staff, only to get hit in the back by another.

This wasn't good. If Wu wasn't careful, he could get seriously injured… He couldn't allow that to happen. He had to get out of storage and into another room, where he could more safely wait out this storm.

* * *

Jay shifted, his mind still struggling to wake. He was comfortable, and it was warm, which made getting up hard. Something was nagging at him that he had to get up, though, so he pushed himself up on shaking arms and rubbed at his heavy eyes in the hopes that it would magically make him more alert.

The first thing Jay becomes aware of as soon as he glances around is the fact that he isn't on the beach where he'd passed out before. Instead he was now in a cave, the warmth he'd felt was a small fire that appeared to be on its last legs, with a small pile of wood nearby.

"Hykos?" Jay breathes out softly.

 _ **I didn't do this.**_ Hykos answers his question before he even has the chance to ask.

"Then who did?" Jay moves to stand, and his legs have never felt more like jelly then they do right now. It's slightly worrisome. A ninja's mobility was their lifeblood, if he could barely stand, dodging an attack or getting out of the way of any traps would be a problem. "Do you think someone else survived the crash?"

 _ **It's highly unlikely…**_ Hykos says lowly, but Jay can't help but notice the touch of hope in his voice. _**Whoever did this doesn't want you dead just yet, at least. Otherwise they would have tried while you were unconscious.**_

"That's very reassuring, thank you." Jay mumbles sarcastically and begins to head for the mouth of the cave. God, he just wanted to lay back down and sleep for, like, a month… "And what do you mean 'try'?"

Hykos doesn't answer that, but there's a sensation of arms around his shoulders, and if he closed his eyes he could imagine the puff of warm breath ruffling his hair.

"My Lord, you are awake!" A familiar voice makes Jay realizes he had nearly fallen asleep leaning against the cave wall. Cryptor hurries over, setting aside what appeared to be fish and random berries and nuts in order to put a steading hand on Jay's shoulder. "Are you feeling alright?"

"You survived the crash?" Jay can't help the breath of relief that he wasn't alone. Well, he had Hykos, but there was only so much comfort you could take from a voice in your head.

 _ **I should have known.**_ Hykos says almost bitterly. _**Of course a Gollum would have survived the crash.**_

"Yes, My Lord." Cryptor says proudly, unaware of Hykos' true thoughts. "And I kept the Ultra Weapon safe, as well."

Jay bites back a curse. That would have been one thing better off lost to the ocean.

"So, uh, you got all of this together while I was unconscious?"

"Yes, My Lord." Reminded of what he'd been doing before, the nindroid goes and picks up the food and moves towards the fire. "It was difficult due to the growing storm, but I managed."

"Storm?" Jay's head felt too heavy to focus right, but if there was any lightning, he should have felt the storm.

"Yes. A hurricane, I believe." Cryptor throws a few more twigs onto the fire before he begins to prepare the fish. "It is too dangerous to leave at the moment."

 _ **The weather is particularly bad right now, isn't it?**_ Hykos poses, but there's a kind of force behind his words. A bite that makes Jay think there's more to his statement than just fact.

"What do you mean?" Jay asks.

"I mean that we should not leave the cave until it has passed." Cryptor answers, mistaking the question for him.

"Oh, no, I was talking to-" Jay stops, realizing that it would likely be better if the murder-bot thought he was still his 'Lord' and not, well, Jay. "Never mind."

Cryptor watches him for a moment before turning back to the fish he was working with.

 _Hykos…?_ Jay tries to think at the other. So far his thoughts had been his own, a private space where Hykos couldn't reach, but right now it'd be really nice if he didn't have to talk out loud for the other to hear him. _Hykooooooooooooos?_

 _ **I heard you the first time.**_ Hykos says with a huff. _**What is it?**_

Jay couldn't help the shock that it worked.

 _Why have we been talking out loud if we could do this?_ Jay waits for a second, and then tried sending the thought again.

 _ **Because, as you can probably already tell, it's very hit or miss.**_ Hykos sighs. _**And there's no need to put on airs in front of the Gollum.**_

"Fine," Jay bit out as a sudden wave of agitation washed over him. "let's be crazy and talk to ourselves!"

"…My Lord?"

 _ **It is a Gollum.**_ Hykos says flatly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. _**It has no sense of right or wrong, sane or insane. All it knows is how to serve its maker.**_

"He's a nindroid, not a Gollum." Jay glares at the fire, since he couldn't glare at the person causing his sudden agitation himself. "Of _course_ he knows all that stuff! He's his own person, with his own thoughts and wishes."

 _ **Child…**_ Hykos' sigh was pitying. The agitation bubbled under his skin, but not in the way his lightning powers sometimes flowed, it was darker, sicker… something purely destructive. _**I know some Gollum can appear very lifelike, but unless it has a soul stone, it is not its own being. You would do well to remember that.**_

Fear, distant under his agitation, but so familiar to the typically anxious ninja. It's enough to unsettle him and realize _it hadn't stopped_. He might have gotten out of the endless black sand, but that didn't mean he was free from the darkness.

Drawing on his powers, pulling the lightning to the surface to fill his veins and crackling over his skin, it _hurt_ in a way it never had before. His stomach felt like it was twisting over itself and… maybe he was imagining it, but did his normally blue lightning appear almost violet?

 _ **Stop that.**_ Hykos says gently, and there's that sensation of arms around his shoulders once more. _**You're only going to make yourself sicker if you waste your energy like that.**_

He did feel suddenly tired again. And hollowed out, like the agitation had taken every other feeling with it when it left.

"Cryptor?" He asks as he settles down close to the fire.

"Yes, My Lord?"

"Wake me when the foods ready?"

"Of course."

"Thanks…"

With a yawn he allows his eyes to fall shut. Hykos' gentle humming follows him into his light doze and infiltrates his dreams. Little snowflakes danced on a breeze, following an odd melody that didn't seem quite right but didn't sound wrong either.

* * *

"-and that is it." Zane finishes explaining everything to the others. It would have to be explained again, when the other's got back from the Dark Island, but for now everyone who was able was caught up to date.

"Geez…" Cole sighs, running a hand through his hair. "It's like everything that could go wrong has, huh?"

His attempt at lightening the mood, if Zane was reading him right, falls flat. If Jay were here, he'd probably make some halfhearted, terrible joke that everyone would either laugh at because of how heavy everything had gotten, or roll their eyes at for how bad it was.

"So, you've actually been helping all this time?" Lloyd turns to Ronin, regret apparent on his face. "I… Thank you."

"Hey, I'm not doing this for you." Ronin's shoulders inch up as he brushes the green ninja's thanks off. "The rusty can opener here promised me compensation."

"I am not a can opener, nor am I rusty."

"I understand all of your concern." Zane says seriously. "But we cannot afford to waste any more time or energy on this than Echo and Ronin are already exerting. For now we must focus our efforts on helping Jay and stopping Viperae."

"How about we start with the beehive you're all apparently going to be poking." Ronin says sarcastically.

"I was not aware that we were going to do such a thing." Echo says innocently. "…What would be the point?"

"Does someone else feel like explaining to the toaster? I've reached my stupidity limit for today." Ronin meets each and every glare that comment gets him unapologetically.

"What he is referring to," Zane says slowly, turning away from the criminal to look at his brother. "is the group that has been threatening Alphonse."

"The _cult_." Ronin clarifies.

Zane spares the criminal another glare before turning to the other ninja.

"He is right, we do not know what reach this group has, nor how quickly they can take action."

"So, before we can even think about getting Alphonse out of there, we have to make sure anyone else who could be a target is safe." Cole surmises. "We don't even know the name of this group…"

"Can you all just call it what it is already?" Ronin scoffs. "Is it so hard for you ninja to say 'cult'?"

"Ugh, fine, they're a cult!" Lloyd huffs, glaring at the criminal. "What I want to know is what Alphonse meant by me having already done it before. I mean, I think I'd remember detangling souls, right?"

"It would have to be similar circumstances." Zane says thoughtfully. "Someone's soul was quantumly entangled with a part of Viperae's soul, although through a different method than Alphonse used on Jay. After that point, you did something and detangled them, presumably without any lasting damage… There is only one incident that I can think of that would meet those criteria, although we do not know what Alphonse did to entangle Jay's soul with a piece of Viperae's…"

"What is it?" Lloyd pushes.

"When the Overlord took control of Sensei Garmadon."

There's a silence that fills the room as everyone takes in what the master of ice has said.

"…But, if that's right, then I'd need the golden power to do it." Lloyd looked disappointed and a touch distraught. He'd given up his golden power when he'd given them their elemental powers back in full, breaking their reliance on him to use them, and while he could in theory get the golden power back, it would require all of them to give him a portion of their power once more. Without Jay that was impossible, making it beyond their reach. Not to mention the mark on his hand making any attempt of his to intervene a death sentence. "Besides, I didn't even know what I did back then! I just wanted my dad back…"

"He knew…" Cole whispered in shock, before, more loudly, saying. "He knew you were the only one who could stop him! That's why he did it, why he made that contract with you."

"Alright, so we're screwed, then?" Ronin says with a long drawn out sigh. "Not only are we facing a deathless demon, but our one hope to save our living battery turns out as a false hope because we don't actually have the power that the crazy conspiracy theorist thought we did. Am I about right?"

"Living battery?"

"He means Jay."

"Oh… But Jay is not a battery."

"He is making a reference to the fact that Jay is the master of lightning, which is electricity, which can be used to power a variety of things."

"I see." Echo nods in understanding, face serious. "The enemy is using Jay as some sort of living battery due to his abilities."

" _Wow_ , where even were you during this conversation?" Ronin laughs scornfully.

"I was here…?" Echo gives the criminal a confused and concerned look. "I have been standing here this entire time."

"Ignore him." Zane's glare for the criminal was as chilly as the ice he creates. "I promise I will explain in full later."

"Alright…"

"I hate to admit it," Cole bites back his own sigh. "but Ronin is right. Kind of. We don't have the power we need. Things are looking pretty bleak right now, but you know what? Ninja never quit." Cole stands up straighter, meeting all of their eyes with determination. "We've never let a setback stop us before, and we won't now. Who's with me?"

He holds out one softly glowing, slightly see through, green tinted hand.

"Of course." Zane steps up and sets his own cold, titanium hand on top of the other's.

"I'm not giving up on my family." Lloyd steps up and adds his hand, pale and scarred, onto the pile.

"I… I am not a ninja, technically." Echo steps up and adds his own, bronze hand onto the pile tentatively. "But Jay is my friend, and I will do everything I can in order to help."

Cole places his other hand over everyone's and gives them all a bright smile.

"Jay is going to be back where he belongs before he knows it." The master of earth seems to promise. "Viperae won't even know what hit him!"

With a cheer, they all threw their hands into the air, and although their situation wasn't any different than before, everything felt lighter as they bustled about. Figuring out who they need to pick up (would the cult target Jay's biological farther too?), that even Ronin's grumble of "You all make me sick." Couldn't bring down the mood.

 _Just hold on, Jay._ Zane promised as he got into his vehicle and headed for the hospital that Cyrus was being kept in. _It won't be much longer now, I can feel it._

It might have just been a glitch in his software, or maybe one of those visions was overlapping with reality now and messing with his head, but he could swear that he could feel Jay beside him. Bright and electric as always, a warmth that radiates from his very being.

And even as he drove a little faster, feeling lighter than he had in a while, his chest ached.

End chapter thirty three.


	35. Chapter 34

Doubt tried to worm its way into Cole's thoughts as he drove. He'd meant every word he'd said before, about them not giving up and bringing Jay back, but he hadn't been so sure it was possible. His teammate's smiles at his words, though, _that_ had been reassuring.

 _They need a rock right now_. He thought with a fond sigh. _And who's better qualified to be that rock than the master of earth?_

It was treading dangerously close to taking on a leadership role, something he had sworn off of after… after he'd lost two of his friends, one due to death and the other over such a petty squabble. And even though the second one was, maybe, not his fault (magic influencing both of them, turning them against each other), it didn't excuse that he'd allowed one of this friend's to die.

Lloyd was doing an alright job, anyway. He was the green ninja, this was his role from the start, right?

 _Pathetic…_ Cole bites the inside of his cheek. He was tired of this. He was tired of the-, if he were totally honest, the self-pity. His relationship with Jay would likely take time to recover (and they _would_ have that time), and Zane was alive and… well, not _well_ , but he was alive. _I could lose my two friends all over again…_

Grief tightens in his chest, his hands itch to grab a snack or something, but he grits his teeth. He'd failed them the first time around, this, selfish as the thought is, but this is his chance to make things right.

 _I can stand tall for the others._ He tells himself as he pulls up to his dad's house. _I can be the friend, and I can be the leader that I should have been back then._

He keeps his friends' smiles in his mind's eye. Whether they knew it or not, they were what kept him grounded, kept his purpose clear. Back when he joined the ninja he'd only thought altruistically, that someone had to step in and help, but there was no drive behind it. It was a job to him, nothing more.

Sure, the people he'd ended up teaming up with were never the kinds of people he'd have befriended on his own (the thought that he could end up best friends with such a quirky person like Jay was laughable), they had all taken their place in his life to the point that going back to his life before was… well, Cole before and Cole now would likely both view the other's life as something impossible.

Thinking back on how lost he had been after Zane's death… it was painful. He was so lost, and even after they'd gotten the white ninja back, even after he'd patched things up with Jay, he hadn't really recovered. He hadn't allowed himself to forget his wrongdoings.

His rap on the door was clear, as was his father's insistence through the door that he use the doorbell.

Cole had wallowed in his guilt, ignored that his friends were finally back at his side until there was the threat of losing them both once again. It was a wakeup call.

The doorbell chimes with an overdone melody, different than the one he'd had last time, and Cole finds he can't place the song even though he knows it must be one of the 'classics' (which was either an _actual_ classic, or one of his dad's songs).

"Cole, Son?" His father's happily surprised voice brings a small smile to Cole's face. "I wasn't aware you were going to visit today!"

"It was kind of a last minute thing." Cole assures his father as he ushers him in, and the master of earth notices that the rest of the quartet were there, all of them dressed up in what appeared to be bowling outfits. "I'm sorry to interrupt your plans."

"It's no trouble." His dad assures him, the quartet all nodding their agreement. "I see your friends aren't with you today."

"Yeah, about that…" Cole's face darkens. "A lot has happened since the last time we talked. I'd love to explain it to you, but right now it'd be better if we moved to a safer place." Cole paused, before looking over to the quartet. "Actually, you guys should probably come, too."

Who knew who could end up a target, after all? The whole quartet was around during enough of his childhood that Cole could kind of call them family (most birthdays he got to hear their newest rendition of 'happy birthday'), so there was a good chance that they'd end up in the cult's crosshairs too.

"This sounds serious." His dad frowns.

"Yeah, it is." Cole doesn't even bother pretending that this isn't a big deal, his dad would understand the scope of what was going on as soon as he finished explaining, anyway. "I'll explain on the way."

* * *

Lloyd pulls up to the mansion with only a little trepidation. Hopefully Cliff Gordon would be willing to talk to him, even after their tense parting last time. Worse come to worse, he'd have to break in again in order to talk to the other, because there was no way that Lloyd was going to let Jay's biological dad be murdered by some cult that was obsessed with become gods or whatever.

"Hey, it's Lloyd." The green ninja says as soon as he hits the buzzer. He pauses, trying to think of what else he could say that would convince the other to let him in. "Something's come up…"

Time drags on as Lloyd debates how much he should divulge over the buzzer. If Cliff wasn't alone, then there was a chance that they would overhear whatever it is that Lloyd said to the man. And there was a chance that the cult had slowly inserted people into the lives of the people who Alphonse cared for (or had some connection to) in order to kill them the second he disobeyed, and Lloyd could be signing the man's death warrant by giving away why he was here.

"Come in." Cliff's curt voice sounds over the buzzer, and the gate rolls open mechanically.

The master of energy hurries up the driveway and to the front door where the actor is already waiting tensely. He doesn't say anything, doesn't even motion him in, he just heads inside and Lloyd follows, awkwardly closing the man's front door for him as he goes.

"What happened?" Cliff asks as soon as they're in the living room, and Lloyd realizes that the tenseness and curt words were the man's anxiety coming through. He was really worried about Jay… The green ninja wishes he could say that Jay was alright, but he didn't know if that was true.

 _Ninja never quit._ He silently repeats Cole's words from earlier. _No matter the setback, we won't stop._

"There's someone who needs our help," He starts out slowly. How much should he say? "they're involved with a cult. And, uh, well, helping them means putting a lot more people in danger… one of who just so happens to be you."

"Me?" The actor raises an eyebrow at that. "How am I related to this?"

"The person is Alphonse Walker," Realization flashes over the other's face, but Lloyd keeps going anyway. "and they've been threatening his family in order to keep him in line."

"I see." The other says tersely. "Give me a moment to make a few calls and then we can leave."

"Right." Lloyd nods and the other walks into a different room, leaving the green ninja to either look around or sit down and wait.

* * *

Echo takes a moment to glance around at the large piles of scrap metal in the junk yard. He remembered how hard it was to get any sort of scrap metal outside of what was delivered to them at the lighthouse along with the supplies, and even then it was always meant to be used for something they wanted his father to make.

There's a familiar sound of welding somewhere from within the scrap yard, and for a moment Echo thinks that, should he follow it, he'll find his father. But, he reminds himself, his father had left the lighthouse without him and died not long after. He would never get to see his father again...

TAI-D beeps out some comforting words, and Echo gives the little bot a small smile. The cleaning bot had always been there for him, even when his father would struggle to remember where he was or what was going on (or forget that he was Echo Zane, and not just Zane).

Curiosity gets the better of him and he follows the sound until he sees a man wearing overalls and a welding mask working on something.

Echo stands there for a moment, unsure of how to approach the other while he was welding, as he did not want to startle the man and cause him undue injury. TAI-D, on the other hand, noticed the tools strewn about the tool box and had decided they needed to be put away.

"TAI-D." Echo whispers. His father had gotten used to the little bot moving about while he was working, but Jay's father was not. He follows TAI-D closer, intending to stop the bot before he can get started, but the other had already packed away two items before the bronze nindroid is close enough to reach him.

The blow torch is turned off and set aside for a moment while Jay's father reaches out for a tool that was no longer there, before moving the face guard up and looking over to see TAI-D working diligently, surprise clear on his face.

"Hello, Mr. Walker!" Echo hurries to say, stepping forward and holding his hand out. "I am Echo Zane, but everyone calls me Echo because it is less confusing."

"Your Zane's brother, right?" The man chuckles, giving Echo's hand a shake. "Edna and I saw you on TV before."

"Yes, Zane is my brother." Echo says a little proudly.

"Well it's nice to meet you." Mr. Walker removes the face guard and sets it aside. "What brings you to our scrap yard today?"

"It is nice to meet you as well." Echo smiles at the other before his face turns serious. "And I am here to bring you and Mrs. Walker somewhere safe."

Mr. Walker's eyes widen a bit and he removes his protective gloves and sets them aside too.

"That doesn't sound too good."

"It is not." Echo pauses, then reconsiders his words. "Or, it does, because then I can take you two somewhere safe."

"Sure thing, just let me go get Edna, and we can be on our way." Mr. Walker begins to walk away, but pauses and turns back to the nindroid. "I'm sure Edna is going to want to know why, I mean, we've never really had to leave before."

"Of course, I will answer any questions you may have." Echo promises.

"Good," Mr. Walker says with a smile. "Jay never really tells us what's going on, so we usually have to rely on the news for any info on what trouble our boy has gotten into."

 _They are not aware of what has happened._ Echo realizes. _They do not know that Jay has been possessed, nor that he is missing._

Echo was likely not the best person to explain all of this to them, his grasp on other's emotions was still a bit tenuous, but he had already promised, and he would not go back on that promise.

TAI-D beeps at him, having finished putting the tools away, and he gives the little bot a helpless look.

"Perhaps it would have been better for one of the other's to get Jay's parents."

* * *

"Just tell him I'm here!" Ronin snaps at the receptionist.

"I will make sure Mr. Brown knows that you are waiting as soon as he is done with his meeting." She replies coldly, barely glancing away from her computer screen in order to glare at him.

Ronin couldn't deny that Dareth would be just as likely to be killed by the cult if they find out the ninja's involvement in this mess, as he was their manager, but did they really think it'd be so easy for a criminal to just waltz into whatever office the honorary ninja may or may not have had and just demand he come with him?

Ronin plops down into one of the chairs and stretches his legs out as far as they'll go while crossing his arms. If he had to sit here and wait, he'd not only be a minor inconvenience to anyone who had to walk by him, but make it clear he was not happy with the receptionist's less than helpful attitude.

It's only a few minutes later that Dareth walks in and announces.

"I'm back from lunch, did I get any calls while I was- oh, Ronin, what are you doing here?"

"I'm _here_ on _important business_ involving the ninja," Ronin growls out the very words he'd said to the receptionist, throwing her a pointed glare. "and I was told you were in a _meeting_."

"It was a lunch meeting." Dareth says, before turning to the receptionist and saying. "I thought I said to let me know as soon as possible if anything involving the ninja came up, Florence."

Ronin almost snorts at the name. No wonder the woman was so unpersonable, with a name like that she must have been mocked relentlessly as a kid.

"You did, Mr. Brown, but the number of people who come in on a daily basis claiming to have some business or other with the ninja would mean you'd constantly be interrupted." She eyes the criminal, who raises an eyebrow in challenge, before turning back to Dareth. "And most of them are just trying to meet the ninja."

"Well, Ronin isn't one of those people." The honorary ninja says. "So next time he comes in with important news, tell me right away."

"Of course, Mr. Brown." There was barely hidden sarcasm in her voice, but Dareth either didn't notice or didn't care, as he motioned for Ronin to follow him.

He's lead into what is actually a decently sized office, before the manager turns to him with a serious look and asks.

"Do the ninja need my help?"

"Not exactly." And here the criminal doesn't hold back his snort. "There's just a cult on the loose that they plan on messing with that could potentially decide to murder you."

"A… a cult?!" Dareth, naturally, is shocked. "I thought that the ninja were dealing with whatever had possessed Jay, now there's a cult?!"

"Yeah, well, apparently blue boy's uncle made the mistake of getting involved with said cult, and, as he's got knowledge that would be useful, the ninja want to get him out." Ronin shrugs. "Which meant putting anyone with a connection to them all at risk."

Dareth eyes the criminal for a moment, and Ronin very nearly snaps at the other for it, because _seriously_ was this joke of a ninja questioning him? But instead the other just says.

"Give me a minute to clear my schedule and then we can go."

"Make it snappy." Ronin grumbles.

* * *

Zane checks up on Cyrus one more time before he starts driving. The man appeared to be peacefully sleeping, if it weren't for the soul stone glowing softly, connected to his chest by a thin string, then he might have thought that was all this was.

The hospital had allowed him to take the man once he'd explained the situation to them (vaguely, and framed as more of a worry about Viperae returning to finish the job rather than a cult, in order to not draw suspicion), with only some instructions on how to care for the comatose man.

" _So… you're pretty good at driving a carriage." The thief says casually, shifting in his seat beside him._

" _I used to drive our carriage into town in order to sell the meats and furs we'd gathered. And firewood, if the season wasn't particularly fruitful." He explains, taking a moment to glance at the other. It was hard to see his face, as not only was it dark due to the late hour, but his hood was covering most of his face. "I would also bring back whatever supplies we needed."_

" _I thought your father was a scholar?" The thief queries. "That's why you can read and write."_

" _He used to be, yes." The hunter nodded. "If it were not for his learning, he might not have survived the transition that was forced upon him."_

 _His father had been a lousy hunter. If he hadn't been able to lay traps and didn't know what types of plants were safe to eat, they would not have survived the years. The hunter, having grown up in the forest, had learned the art with a skill that his father did not, allowing him to take over providing for them when his father became too ill to._

"… _What happened?" He smiles at the carefully hidden curiosity. It wasn't often that the thief was willing to delve into conversations of the past, likely out of fear that the questions would be turned back on him._

" _He fell in love with a woman above his station." The hunter leans forward a bit, hoping to catch the other's eye without being obvious. "She was betrothed to another, though. I was a result of their secret union, which her family hid, and they gave her an ultimatum. Join my father in disgrace, or give up both of us and go on with the marriage as if nothing had ever happened."_

" _I take it she didn't go with the first option." The thief says with a dark chuckle._

" _No… she did not."_

" _Sorry." The thief's apology is surprising. "I, uh, my situation was… similar. My mother was a servant to a lord who was very… promiscuous. He promised her marriage and then sent her away in disgrace when I came into the picture."_

" _Oh." The hunter breathes out softly. "I am sorry to hear that."_

 _Finally, the thief turns to him, mismatched eyes burning bright with anger._

" _They're all scum." He grits out. "All hiding away their horrible, rotten selves behind glittering stones and bright fabrics…"_

 _The hunter glances back at the carriage, but if the others were awake he'd have heard a shift in their breathing._

" _You don't like nobles?" The thief's eyes darken just a bit as his frown deepens. "What about our comrades?"_

 _He knew the guard came from a high ranking family, and then there was the fact that they were working with the very Lord of these lands._

" _I'm not here because I feel any kinship towards these people." The thief's gaze softens a touch, and he hesitantly reaches out a hand and lays it on the hunter's shoulder. "Listen, we are not their friends. We are merely tools, just as any below their station is. They may show you kindness now, but once your usefulness to them is gone they will show you their fangs."_

 _He lets the thief's words hang in the silence between them (and not because he thought any response might make the thief take his hand back), and just as he's about to respond the thief's eyes focus on something behind him and he shouts._

" _Look out!"_

A loud blaring horn causes Zane to swerve, his mind taking a terrifying minute to realize where he is and what happened, and once he's aware he quickly pulls onto the side of the road. He'd been lost in one of his visions while driving, and had very nearly caused an accident.

Zane tries not to sigh in aggravation. The others had just recently admonished him about this happening at a horrible time, and he hadn't even thought about it affecting him while driving! Frost had lined the windows and Zane quickly cranks up the heat before turning to check on Cyrus.

The man didn't look any worse for wear, but that could be because his soul stone wasn't currently in his body. The stone itself had fallen from its place atop Cyrus' chest and onto the floor, and Zane can't help but feel a touch guilty about that. If something happened to the stone, the inventor would suffer just as he was, probably, and the master of ice didn't want to be the cause of that.

He sets the stone in a more secure location, tucked away by Cyrus' side and the seat's back, and then carefully steps out of the car. Cyrus was secure, he'd made sure of that, and driving was too dangerous, but flying (hopefully) would be safer.

Zane summons his dragon, climbs aboard, and instructs Shard to carefully pick up the car before they begin flying towards their destination.

Hopefully, if he were to have another vision, then Shard could just keeping flying. No one would be in danger this way.

 _Unless Shard disappears when it happens._ Because then they'd both end up falling to the ground… and that would not be a very pretty end.

* * *

"Okay, a little to the left." Dan instructs, and the vines move the huge log accordingly. "That's it, now lower it slowly."

Rebuilding had gone smoothly, much more smoothly than building had gone initially, as Hiroshi had almost no clue what they were doing back then. Of course, Dan had decided on making a few improvements, with Hiroshi's permission, so it wasn't going to be an exact replica, but Hiroshi understood what they were doing well enough.

"Dan." The forest Spirit says suddenly, face pensive. "There is a huge group gathering at the edge of my reach."

"What?" Dan's brows furrowed at the thought. Most people outright avoided this place because of the rumors. And even researchers who were curious came in small groups… the only thing he could think of was foresters, and that didn't bode well. Dan would do everything he could to dissuade them, but if he couldn't make them leave Hiroshi's labyrinth alone, he couldn't stop the forest from defending itself. "Where?"

The forest spirit starts walking and Dan follows along. He was used to Hiroshi's quirks, as a forest spirit he didn't truly understand most human interactions.

He's surprised when Hiroshi lets out a little gasp and starts running.

"Hiroshi?" He questions, hurrying after the other, only to trip on a root and find a branch catching his fall. "Geeze what's gotten into you?"

Once he's reached the edge of the forest, he's surprised to see the ninja who had visited them last.

"They came back!" Hiroshi calls back happily, before turning to look at the group once more. "Some of them, at least, and they brought friends!"

With how eager the red ninja (whose name escapes him at the moment) was to leave, he hadn't expected to see any of the ninja again for a while.

"Did you run out of lotus breaker already?" He can't help but ask as he comes to stand next to a happily bouncing Hiroshi. If Hiroshi was more of a hugger and less of a 'I'm going to imitate a vine and wrap around you so you can never leave' type, he'd likely have hugged one of them right now.

"No, that's not why we're here." The ghost (he had a 'c' name, right?) steps forward, looking serious. "We were hoping that you could keep some people safe for us for a while."

"So… I get to keep them?"

" _Hiroshi_." Dan immediately says warningly. He didn't want the forest spirit to get any ideas.

"Not for forever." Lloyd (ha, he remembered that one!) says cautiously. "Just until the threat has been dealt with."

"Threat?" The forest spirit tilts his head, curious but also cautious. "I can keep any intruders out, but if you mean the one who brought the lotus breaker here, then I can't help you."

"That isn't who we're worried about." The robot (ugh, why was he so bad with names?!) says. "There is a group-"

"A _cult_." One of the new people interrupts.

"-who is likely to try and kill these people because of our actions." The robot ninja goes on as if the other hadn't said anything. "We cannot protect them twenty four seven, as there are other things we need to do, but as you essentially are this forest, nothing within its borders can slip past you, correct?"

"Everything here is mine." Hiroshi nods. "And I can keep people out as well as keep them in."

"So you'll help us?" Lloyd asks hopefully.

Hiroshi looks at him, and Dan isn't sure if he's asking for permission or debating on whether or not he'd be too tempted to keep them here, and so Dan just pats him on the head and says.

"I guess it'll be nice having some company… although we haven't finished rebuilding yet."

The ninja all look relieved, and Hiroshi looks happy. Dan just hopes things will go as well when it's time for them to leave…

End chapter thirty four.

* * *

AN:A _big_ thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, and favorited this story so far! I'm happy to see that so many people like this story. ^u^

Unfortunately, I've realized that I won't be able to complete the story before it catches up to the current chapter I'm writing if I keep updating twice a week, so I'm pulling it back to once a week. I've set up a poll you can find on my profile page to vote on which of my usual update days are kept. I'll post two more chapters on my usual schedule to give people time to vote before it takes effect.

Once I've finished writing the story, I will go back to updating twice a week, though!

-Kit


	36. Chapter 35

Kai groans, shifting slowly, taking stock of the various aches and pains in his body. He'd been on the deck with Nya and Skylor while they waited for the Sensei before disembarking when the storm had hit. The master of fire had tried holding on, but he'd been thrown from the ship sometime after the anchor's chain had snapped.

His wrist sends a jolt of pain up his arm when he moves to push himself up and he curses. It was sprained at best, fractured at worse. Gingerly prodding at the now throbbing joint doesn't give him any answers, so Kai just lets out a curse and climbs onto his feet.

His sister was better when it came to first aid then he was. He'd given her plenty of practice over the years, as he never could seem to avoid getting into fights, he'd just have to find her so she could patch him up as always.

"Nya!" He yells. "Sis, where are you?!"

No answer.

"Skylor?! Senei Wu?!" He pauses for a moment, waiting for a response. "Can anybody hear me?!"

There was only silence in return. Kai muttered a few choice curses as he glanced around. He was alone, and essentially lost in a forest that had dangers he didn't know about (not that Kai could claim to know most of the dangers they'd faced in the first place).

 _At least it was only my wrist that got hurt._ The master of fire thinks. _At least I can still outrun any wild animals that might want to try and make me into their next meal._

Taking one more look around, for any sign of which way he should go, maybe broken branches that could have indicated which way he'd come from when he'd fallen from the ship. No such luck, either the trees here were very springy and didn't break easily, or Kai managed not to hit any of them when he fell.

With an aggravated sigh the red ninja begins walking in a random direction. It wouldn't take him that long to find the others, right? How big was the Dark Island anyway? Just, you know, as big as Ninjago was, which meant he could be stuck here forever and never run into his sister, or Skylor, or his Sensei…

Kai stops walking.

"Ok, that isn't going to work…" At the same time, Kai couldn't stand the thought of sitting around and waiting for the others to come find him. The odds were just as bad. So what else could he do? "Come on Kai, you're the master of fire-"

Cutting off his own rambling (and geez, was he really so used to hearing Jay's incessant ramblings that now _he_ felt a need to fill the silence?), Kai realized what he could do. Pulling out his sword one handed, he clumsily carved the symbol for fire into the nearest tree, along with an arrow pointing which way he'd gone. That done, he sets out to find a good clearing, marking up the trees whenever he has to change directions. Once he'd found a clearing he'd start up a small fire and hope the others would see the smoke and come find him.

* * *

"Kai?!" Nya calls out once more, feeling her heart sink just a little bit lower when no one answers. They'd been flung from the Bounty when the storm had hit, and of course it had to scatter them all.

"Nya?!" A distant voice sounds out, and Nya feels a mixture of happiness and disappointment because there was no way she could mistake the voice as being her brother's.

"Skylor, I'm over here!" She calls back, moving towards the sound. Eventually the restaurant owner comes into her field of view, looking a little roughed up, blood running down her face from a cut above her brow, but otherwise alright.

 _We were lucky._ Nya thinks back onto the storm. _Neither of us are seriously injured._

It must have been because they weren't very high up when they were thrown. If they'd been any higher there was no way they would have made it out of this without at least a broken bone or two. It also meant that they probably weren't tossed that far from each other. Kai might not be close enough to hear her, but her brother shouldn't be that far off.

"That storm really came out of nowhere, didn't it?" Skylor says as she wipes away some of the blood with her sleeve, causing it to smear.

"Yeah." Nya huffs, more focused on surveying their surroundings now. Which way was the best way to go in order to find her brother?

"Are you hurt?" The restaurant owner pushes, stepping a little closer and eyeing the master of water.

"I'm fine." Nya can't help but bite out in reply, causing the other woman to furrow her brows.

"Listen, Nya, I don't know what I've done to make you dislike me, but if we want to get out of this safely we're going to have to work together."

"What?" Nya turns to the other, surprised at being so suddenly called out. "What gave you that impression?"

"It's pretty obvious." Skylor gives the master of water a flat look. "Last night you made it pretty clear that you didn't like me."

The words 'that isn't important right now' die on her tongue as Nya remembers just how… smitten her brother had been when talking to the other. She'd seen her brother like that before, as well as the outcome.

"What are your intentions?" She demands instead of trying to smooth things over.

"My… intentions regarding what?" Skylor gives her a curious look.

"Kai." Nya bites out, stepping towards the other woman. "What are your intentions regarding Kai?"

Surprise colors the other's face for a moment before her brows furrow.

"Nya… I'm not going to hurt your brother."

"Oh, really?" The master of water crosses her arms as she snorts.

"Yes, really." Skylor matches her pose, crossing her arms as well. "And honestly? I'm not the one with the reputation of being a player."

Nya bristled at the insult to her brother (even if it was true).

"You don't know the first thing about my brother!"

"I want to!" Silence hangs heavy between them for a moment, both panting, until Skylor eventually says. "…I don't know your brother. We haven't had much chance to talk since the tournament of elements, and it's clear that he hasn't exactly stayed away from the dating scene, but… but I can tell that he's a good guy."

Anger petering out, leaving guilt in its wake, Nya deflates. Skylor didn't seem like she was lying, she was genuinely interested in her brother.

"Sorry." Nya sighs. "It's just… you're the first person Kai has shown any interest in since… well, in a long time."

"According to gossip he's got a new girl every week." The words are said without any sort of conviction. It's obvious that Skylor doesn't believe the rumors fully, although there was no denying that Kai had gone on plenty of dates.

"Kai's a shameless flirt." Nya admits. "But he's never lost any sleep over any of the girls he usually flirts with." Debating what she's about to say next, the master of water takes a deep breath and forces the words out. "The last time he cared about a girl this much it didn't end well."

Nya remembered the mess her brother had become. He'd stay out late, gotten into even more fights, and the arguments he'd gotten into with their father… arguments that had only later fueled his grief when their father had passed. She loved her brother, and the thought of him going through that again was enough to make her heart hurt.

"Nya." Skylor puts a hand on her shoulder, her face serious as she says. "I have no intention of hurting your brother."

"I get that now." She sighs, before looking into the other's eyes with a quietly burning fire. "But if you do hurt my brother, I hope you know a good place to hide."

"Of course." Skylor's smile is reassuring and not intimidated in the least, but Nya couldn't find in it her to be miffed about that. "Now, why don't we go find the others?"

"Right." Nya nodded.

It was hesitant, but Nya got the feeling that Kai would be in good hands with Skylor…

* * *

"Brother?" Echo hesitantly calls.

"Is everything alright, Brother?" Zane replies.

Glancing over his shoulder, Echo's eyes land on the Walkers who had been oddly tense and quiet since they'd arrived.

"I… I think I may have done something wrong." Echo admits guiltily. "I have certainly upset Mr. and Mrs. Walker."

Zane couldn't help the surprise that statement brought. Part of the reason he'd suggested sending his brother to go pick up the Walkers was because they were very kind and accepting people. They were the least likely to be cruel to his brother, intentionally or not.

"What happened?" He asks gently, trying to reassure his brother that he wasn't judging him. He couldn't imagine the other nindroid doing anything bad on purpose, after all, so it must have been a misunderstanding.

"Well… They were not aware that anything was wrong." Echo says slowly, and, yes, Zane could see how that could have been a problem. They were well aware that Jay was poor at communicating with his parents, for reasons no one could guess at, given how talkative he always was. It must have come as a surprise to them to hear their son was currently being possessed and was essentially missing. "Also, they seemed to believe that Alphonse Walker was dead."

"Oh." Right, Alphonse had made it clear that he was 'dead' and even had a death certificate… "They did not take the news well?"

"Mr. Walker was insistent that he could not be alive." Echo glances back at the couple, who were conversing quietly, almost arguing it looked like. "They apparently buried him, and so I must have been mistaken. Either that, or someone has been pretending to be Alphonse Walker all this time."

The master of ice mulled over those words. There was a chance that was the case. Even if the man held the same appearance as Alphonse Walker, there was magic out there that the ninja had no knowledge of. And Alphonse had yet to meet anyone who would have known him before his 'death.'

"Echo." Zane says seriously, drawing the younger nindroid's attention to him. "I will talk with the Walkers and see about sorting this out." Echo nods, still looking guilty, so he gives him a warm smile and says. "Thank you for bringing them here."

"You are welcome." The bronze nindroid's smile is weak, but genuine, and with that Zane heads towards Jay's parents.

Once he's close enough to hear their harsh whispers, he can tell that they're speaking a different language (their native tongue? Did Jay also speak the language?) and as tempted as he is to listen in, he instead calls out.

"I am glad to see that you two are safe."

They both turn to him, Ed making no move to hide his frown, but Edna giving him a wane smile and saying.

"Thank you, dear."

"What is all this nonsense about Al being alive?" Ed demands.

"Ed." Edna scolds her husband. "We talked about this."

"I don't care what kind of magic is involved, my brother has been dead for over twelve years now!" The junkyard owner pins Zane with a hard stare. "If he were alive, he would have given us some sort of sign, or… something."

"I understand that it is hard to believe that someone you once thought dead is now alive." Zane says coolly. "I was in that very same predicament with my father."

"See, dear?" Edna places a comforting hand on her husbands shoulder. "This isn't even the first time this has happened."

"Yes." Zane agrees, although he's certain that the circumstances are nowhere near to being the same. "And I cannot speak for your brother as to why he chose not to speak to you, but I believe he only had your best interest at heart."

"I just…" Ed shakes his head, appearing to deflate a bit. "I can't believe it until I see it with my own eyes. Until I see _him_ alive and well again."

"Me neither Eddie." Edna says sympathetically. "Every time I think about him I remember the funeral, how still he was."

The white ninja shifted uneasily. This sounded personal… maybe he should leave? But it would be rude to just walk away.

"Zane." Ed turned to the titanium nindroid with an apologetic look. "I think I rattled your brother earlier. Could you apologize to him for me?"

"Of course." Zane smiles, happy that this conversation had gone so well.

* * *

"Pixal," Garmadon groans as he moves to stand up fully. "is everyone alright?"

There's a moment where he worries that the AI isn't going to respond.

"Sensei Wu is alright, but Kai, Nya, and Skylor are currently missing."

"Missing?" Garmadon began to slowly head for the bridge.

"Yes. They were on the deck when the storm hit." Yeah, Garmadon remembered Kai telling him to hurry up and meet them on the deck. "They must have fallen off."

"Do you have any idea where they went?"

"Unfortunately I do not." Wu is already there when Garmadon steps into the bridge. Pixal's face appears on the screen, looking pensive. "Several important systems were knocked out during the storm."

A bunch of things pop up on the screen, most of which Garmadon has a vague understanding of, but he was certain that he didn't understand the full scope of the damage. The engines were out, which meant the ship couldn't fly.

"Brother." Wu turns to him, voice devoid of any of the warmth that the words he spoke should have carried. "I am glad to see that you weren't hurt."

"As I am glad to see you are alright as well." He replies in equal measure. "Has Pixal told you about-"

"The others being thrown off ship? Yes, I am aware." Wu interrupts. "Unfortunately we cannot waste any time searching for them."

Garmadon is surprised by his brother's words. He was just as anxious to find Misako, but to abandon the ninja, and Skylor, to the creatures and plants that had thrived in this dark land? He either had a lot of faith in his ninja, or he had reason to believe it was urgent.

"Wu… what have you seen?" The only reason Garmadon could think of as to why would be Wu having had a vision. While neither of them had quite the gift that Zane did, Wu had a talent for fortune telling that favored their mother (and was why, Garmadon suspected, their father favored him). Garmadon had never had the same success that Wu did when it came to fortune telling, despite his skill with other spells he'd attempted over the years.

"Enough," His brother says cryptically. "to know that we don't have any time to waste."

"I see." His worry for Misako grew at those words. "Then we should get moving."

"According to the scanners," Pixal speaks up. "there is a river nearby. There should not be any structural damage to the hull, so if you can get the bounty into it, we can ride it deeper into the island."

"Thank you, Pixal." Wu says kindly, before turning back to his brother. "Think you're up for moving a ship?"

"Of course, little brother." Garmadon can't help the slight raise of an eyebrow at the challenge. "Are you?"

"I was born ready." And his brother was so insistent that his students hadn't rubbed off on him...

If the situation wasn't so tense, Garmadon might have taken a moment to tease his little brother, just like when they were little. But that was long ago, and now was not the time.

* * *

"Okay, the coast is clear." Cole gives the others the go ahead, who all climb through the window into Alphonse's apartment. Since he could turn invisible, he was the best option to scout out the apartment for people.

"It's just as messy as I remembered." Lloyd quips.

"How long until Alphonse returns?" Echo asks.

"Who knows?" Cole shrugs.

The younger nindroid had been anxious to get Jay's uncle, and had insisted on joining them on the mission. Meanwhile, Zane had grudgingly decided to stay behind in case he had any more visions. Ronin, of course, had called them crazy when Echo asked if he was coming. So it was just Cole, Echo, and Lloyd.

Honestly, the less people they had on this mission the better. After all, if everything went right, they'd grab Alphonse and go. The cult would be none-the-wiser until they came to check up on the man and found him missing.

Cole picked up one of the random pieces of paper littered about and looked it over. It was covered in a scrawl that looked so messy it was impossible for him to figure out what it was even supposed to say. Setting it aside he picks up another one. It wasn't like he had anything else to do until the man got back.

Eventually the door in the other room opens, all the ninja go on high alert, and there are a few tense moments until they hear soft footsteps approaching the door. They all find a hiding place, Lloyd drops under the bed, Echo hides behind the kitchen counter, and Cole goes invisible.

Alphonse stumbles into the room, looking haggard and dragging his feet. Cole steps close, let's his invisibility drop and quickly puts a hand over the others mouth, keeping his terrified scream from making much noise.

"Sorry," Cole gives the man a sheepish grin as he lets him go and steps out of his personal space. "I just figured, if you were anything like Jay, that you would startle pretty badly… and loudly."

"What are you doing here?" Alphonse demands, one hand gripping his chest while the other pushes up his glasses.

"We are here to take you someplace safe." Echo says, appearing over the counter.

"…I told you, I can't leave."

"Because they'll hurt your family?" Lloyd asks as he shuffles out from under the bed. "That won't be a problem anymore!"

"Why is that?" Even as he asked, Alphonse's eyes shined dimly with hope.

"Because we took everyone you care about someplace safe." Cole replies, sitting down next to the man. "They won't be able to do a thing to anyone."

"All of them?" Alphonse looks surprised. "Even… my Ex?"

"Your Ex?" Cole felt his stomach drop. An Ex… of course there was an 'Ex.' Jay had mentioned his uncle having a fiancé, and of course they wouldn't be out of danger just because they thought Alphonse was dead.

"Well, I-I mean, we didn't exactly _break up_ … since I died." Alphonse shifts a little nervously. "But it's been years. He's probably already found someone else."

"What is his name?" Echo asks, likely already planning on going to pick up Alphonse's Ex.

"Dan De'Leon." Alphonse's face fell as it became clear to him that they hadn't brought everyone to safety. "but, uh, you all should go. If… if you do get everyone… well, I don't know where I'll be, since they've been talking about moving bases, but-"

"Wait, wait, wait…" Lloyd interrupts the man. "Dan… as in, wears glasses, blond hair, and paints?"

"Yes?"

"Then we do have him!" Lloyd gives the other man a smile.

"…do you?" Alphonse didn't appear to exactly believe them.

"We do." Cole promises. "Now come on, let's go."

Honestly, at this point, if the other man refused, Cole was going to practice possessing people and walk him to their cars himself.

"…Okay." Alphonse stood, looking nervous all over again. "I, uh, should I pack anything?"

"Just what you want to take with you."

The man hesitates, then moves over to a closet and pulls out a duffle bag which he slings over this shoulder. Cole could understand the hesitation, after all, this had been the man's life for years… he'd been living under the cult's thumb, fearing that any misstep would get his family killed.

 _Yet he still took the risk to approach us with that information._ The master of earth thinks as they quickly descend the fire escape. _All this time he never forgot what he was fighting for._

End chapter thirty five

* * *

AN: Here's a small update on the poll so far: Monday is winning with an astonishing one vote!

So, yeah, even if that's all the vote the poll gets, I'll honor it. If you don't want Broken Circles to update on Monday, then heard over to my page and vote in the poll. Next Thursday I'll be announcing the final results of the poll, so you have until then.

Finally, thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, and favorites this story. ^u^ Hope you all have a chance to see the eclipse today!

-Kit


	37. Chapter 36

"Dan?" Hiroshi's voice calls out softly. "Are you alright?"

"I…" The painter hesitates, eyes meeting the forest spirit's for a moment before going back to what he was looking at. "Not really."

He hadn't noticed them at first. The ninja were here and Hiroshi was overly excited about having more people stay and he was busy worrying not only about that but sleeping arrangements, that he hadn't had time to look at every person they brought.

"Is it those people?" Hiroshi could be observant when he wanted to be… or when he felt like what was 'his' was threatened. "The ninja asked me to keep them here, but if you don't like them-"

"No!" Dan says hurriedly before Hiroshi could even finish the thought. "No… I just, I didn't expect that-"

His breath hitched, old memories that he hadn't thought of in some time coming back to the surface. A pair of arms wrap around his middle tightly, less of a hug and more possessive, but it was as comforting as the forest spirit could manage.

"…Does this have something to do with why you came to me in the first place?"

"Yeah." Dan sighs. He hadn't told Hiroshi everything, just the bare facts; that his fiancé had died and he'd ended up finding himself lost. He'd started traveling, painting whatever caught his eye, and trying to sell those painting in order to make some money along with whatever odd jobs he could pick up. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to come here to Hiroshi's labyrinth when most people who'd been had claimed they were lucky to even be alive right now (or maybe he knew exactly why, and he'd just preferred not to think about it). "That couple there? They're the Walkers… They're related to Al."

Hiroshi hums, leaning his head on Dan as he observes the quietly talking couple. The painter rests a hand on the forest spirit's head, running his fingers through the other's hair and thinking back to their first meeting.

It had been years ago, now. About three after… after Al had died. Dan was at his lowest point, barely getting by, and barely finding the will to even get up in the morning. He remembered the sad, pitying faces of the people in the village as he told them he was going to Hiroshi's Labyrinth so he could paint some of the unique flora there.

As he'd stepped into the forest he knew immediately that it wasn't like any forest he'd been in before. Everything seemed to move, seemed _alive_ , and he could have sworn something was watching him (which was right, since Hiroshi didn't need to have someone in his line of sight in order to 'see' them so long as they were in the forest). Despite the misgivings he'd gone deeper into the forest, until he'd found something worth painting, and then he'd set up his easel and got to work.

Dan was used to losing himself in his paintings, in forgetting everything else in the world, even his own needs, until he either ran out of paint or finished entirely (and all those times that Al would have to drag him away from his easel with the fondest expression). It was the feeling of someone looking over his shoulder that broke him out of it, and when he'd looked over his shoulder there was a child who looked to be about seven or eight (the same age that Jay was, he remembered thinking as his heart clenched painfully in his chest), with forest green hair and eyes, and who was also completely naked.

" _Oh my gosh!"_ He remembers startling, quickly shrugging off his outer shirt that was still wet with paint and slinging it over the child's shoulders. _"What are you doing out here? Where are your parents?"_

The child just blinked up at him, not moving to put his arms into the shirt, and so after a moment's hesitation Dan did it for him along with buttoning it up and rolling the sleeves up to keep them from covering his hands. The child had looked down at the shirt, tugging at the cloth curiously, as if he didn't understand what he was looking at.

" _Can you talk?"_ He remembered so many worries going through his head. Of kid nappers, of what life the child could have led that clothing seemed foreign to him (and later the relief he'd felt after realizing the child wasn't _human_ at all). _"Can you understand me?"_

" _Yes."_ The child had said, green eyes moving up to meet his own with that same curious look. _"What were you doing?"_

" _Painting?"_ He remembered the incredulous look he'd given the child, who seemed so calm. _"Listen, why don't I take you back to the village? Then the proper authorities can help you find your family."_

He'd held his hand out to the child (a gesture he hadn't known meant absolutely nothing to the forest spirit) who only stared at it blankly.

" _Oh, uh m-my name is Dan! Dan De'Leon."_ He introduced himself to the child, as if that were the problem. _"What's your name?"_

The child stared at him blankly for a bit, and Dan remembers shifting awkwardly, before he finally said.

" _People call me Hiroshi's Labyrinth."_ The child wandered past him, peering at what he'd been painting. _"You painted a very pretty picture of me."_

There had been so much confusion, he remembers, as he'd ended up dragging the other through the forest for an hour or two before Hiroshi had started saying how he was never leaving because Dan was _his_ now. He remembered laughing it off as a child's imagination at first, and then freaking out as the trees began bending unnaturally, moving to Hiroshi's will, and finally the long conversation he'd had with the forest spirit about how he couldn't _own people_.

Eventually, after Hiroshi had wrapped around his legs like a vine and given him these puppy dog eyes while begging him to stay, saying that he'd let any others go if Dan just stayed with him… He had agreed.

"Dan?" Edna's incredulous voice breaks the painter out of his musings and he meets the woman's eyes with a wane smile.

"Hey, Edna… It's good to see you." He lies. Because he'd broken contact with the nice couple because just seeing them brought up painful memories that he couldn't stand.

"It's good to see you, too." Edna replies, her smile just as wane as his. "I never imagined running into you like this."

"Yeah… I had no idea Jay had an interest in becoming a ninja." He tries to laugh, but it sounds so stilted. Jay was such a common name, plenty of people who'd stopped by to buy a painting or buy some of the herbs he'd convinced Hiroshi to sell had gone by the name Jay.

"I take it you don't follow the news much anymore." Edna says sympathetically. "He's been on TV quite a bit since he became one. Saved Ninjago alongside his friends a few times, too!"

"Has he?"

"He has. Ed and I are so proud of him!" And it showed, even as the weight of recent events weighed on her. "…Dan, how have you been holding up?"

"I-" He isn't sure how to answer, and finds himself glancing down at Hiroshi, who's been listening to their conversation quietly all this time. There was an interest in his eyes, there always was when Dan talked about himself. "Fine. Well, I guess? I, uh, well I kind of live here, now."

"He's mine." Hiroshi speaks up, and Dan wishes he could for once explain the situation _before_ Hiroshi gave people strange ideas.

"It's not what you think." Dan hurries to say. "He promised not to trap anyone else here if I agreed to stay."

"Your Hiroshi's Labyrinth, right?" Edna asks the forest spirit gently, as if she was talking to a child (and in some ways she was). "I'd like to thank you for keeping us all safe."

"I just like having more people around." Hiroshi smiles back at Edna, and Dan can almost feel a knot untangle in his chest a bit as he reminds Hiroshi that they aren't staying forever. Hiroshi pouts at him for a moment before something catches his attention and his eyes lock onto one of the others the ninja brought. Before Dan can even ask what's wrong Hiroshi is stalking off, face intent, and the painter has a sinking feeling that whatever exchange that was going to happen wasn't going to be a pleasant one.

"Dan." Edna says, and he turns back to the woman instead of following Hiroshi. "I wanted to know if you were alright."

"Yes?" Dan frowns, because she already asked him this.

"Really?" She seems surprised. "I'm surprised you're taking the news so well. Even Ed needed some time to accept that Al is alive."

It felt like the world had stopped. His breathing hitching in his chest. That couldn't be right… Al-, he'd been there for the funeral. There was no mistaking the… the _body_ had been unmistakable. Al was dead, and he'd accepted that long ago (accepted that he wouldn't see his fiancé in this lifetime again when he'd stepped into the now familiar forest).

"Oh, dear, I am so sorry." Edna looks apologetic. "I thought you knew."

"I didn't…" He swallows harshly, wishing he still had Hiroshi's vice like grip around his waist and his weight against his side to distract him. Instead the knot in his chest wound itself even tighter than before, almost choking him now. "…How?"

"We don't know." Edna gently lays a hand on his shoulder. "But when the ninja return you can ask him yourself."

Hope, disbelief, and grief knotted itself up in his throat, made his chest tight, and before he knew it his vision was blurring. Edna pulled him into a hug, an honest to goodness hug, and rubbed one hand down his back comfortingly.

 _Al… he's alive._ The words didn't feel real. They wouldn't feel real until he saw the other man again, could pull him close and hear his heart beating. Even still, the tiny bit of hope burned strong, reigniting the pain he'd thought he'd long since grown accustomed to.

* * *

"That's mine." Hiroshi huffs, approaching one of the humans who was examining one of his possessions a little too interestedly.

"It's a rock." They deadpan back, carelessly tossing it over his shoulder.

"It's _mine._ " He emphasizes. "Everything here is _mine_."

"Yeah, whatever." The man rolls his eyes and Hiroshi realizes he's going to have to keep a closer eye on this one. Worst come to worst, if he tried to take anything he'd find he couldn't leave with it. "What's with the look?"

"I don't know what you mean." Hiroshi replied. Honestly, there were a lot of intricacies to human interaction that he couldn't learn from Dan alone, nor from the brief interactions he had with people who came to buy things from them.

"You look like I'm going to steal one of your precious _rocks_ or something."

"Are you?"

"No! Just what would be the point?"

"You looked pretty interested in that rock over there."

The man stared at him, one brow twitching before he sighs and says.

"Some of the rocks here are phosphorescent, right?"

"Phos…fir?" Hiroshi hadn't heard that word before. Most of what he knew of the language he'd picked up from the people who'd entered the forest. It wasn't enough to call it a mastery, but enough to hold everyday conversations, usually.

"Geez, you're almost as bad as the toaster." The other huffed. "Some of the rocks here glow in the dark, right?"

"Oh!" Actually, now that he thought about it, the word phosphor _did_ sound familiar, but he couldn't place when he'd heard it, which was odd. Normally he remembered everything that'd happened clear as day. The only memories he had that were foggy were-… Oh. The memories from the first time he'd lived. Those memories where foggy and unclear, mostly lost except for the most emotionally charged ones... "Yeah, there are some phosphorescent things here. Like rocks."

For some reason that seemed to make the man even more annoyed.

"Yeah, well, I'm looking for a particular kind of rock. It doesn't just glow in the dark, it glows all the time. Have any of those around here?"

"If I did, it's mine."

"But you don't." the man sighs. "That's all you had to say."

"But if I did, it's mine."

"I get it, geez." The man scoffed. "I have no interest in anything you have here."

"Hiroshi," Zane steps up, eyeing the aggravated man before turning to the forest spirit. "is Ronin bothering you?"

"No, _he_ is bothering _me_." Ronin huffs. "Honestly, you all are insufferable."

Hiroshi tunes out the following conversation as Dan was pulled into a hug with the nice lady. The forest spirit couldn't deny the worry that immediately wormed its way into his chest. Despite Dan having kept true to his word for years, Hiroshi still worried that he'd realize one day that he'd rather go live with other humans… And now the human that he loved more than any other was alive.

 _There's only one solution to this._ Hiroshi thought determinedly. _I just have to convince Al to stay here too… It shouldn't be hard, why would anything have any reason to leave?_

* * *

Anxiety was making the blood rush through Alphonse's veins. He should have known, of course they would take him where they were keeping the others all safe… why had he expected any differently? Still, to be faced with the people he had never intended to see again before he, well… before he had to die.

"Alphonse?" His brother's voice was choked with emotion, and this was exactly what he had hoped to avoid. Hurting his family all over again… "You really are alive."

But what was done was done. They were here, and he was here, he couldn't just make them magically un-see him.

"Yeah, Ed." He replied weakly. "It's me."

"All this time…" Ed's face suddenly shifts to a glare and he steps into Alphonse's personal space. "Just where have you been all this time?! Why did you let us go on thinking you were dead?!"

"I…" He hesitates. His brother didn't get angry often, but when he did Alphonse never quite knew how to deal with it. And now? Just how was he supposed to answer those questions? "I'm sorry, Ed."

He hears his brother take a deep breath, hold it a moment, and then let out a shuttering breath. He's thrown off balance when his brother pulls him in close and wraps his arms around him.

"I can't believe you're alive." He hears Ed whisper roughly. "How is this possible?"

Carefully wrapping his arms around his brother, Alphonse debates on whether or not he should answer that, or what he'd even say if he did. Should he explain to them exactly what had happened? But that would ruin this… bittersweet meeting, wouldn't it?

After some time Ed lets go and they step back.

"We have a lot to catch up on, don't we?" He gives his brother a sheepish smile, and his glasses slide down his nose, causing everything to go out of focus. He pushes them back up with a slight huff.

"Are you still using those old things?" Dan's familiar voice, full of warmth, sends a jolt down his spine.

When he turns to his ex-fiancé, he's surprised to see the other man on the verge of tears even as a smile breaks out on his face.

"Dandy…" He finds himself saying on impulse, and he curses himself for it. He didn't have any right to call Dan that anymore. "Ah, uh, _Dan_."

"Alley-oop…" A sniffle, and suddenly he's got an armful of painter. The other man is warm, shaking with every shuddering breath, and Alphonse feels like both the worst person in the world (not that that's a new feeling), and so, _so_ happy to see this man one more time that he thought he just might cry, too. "You're real." Dan pulls away, takes off his own glasses (something he would do sometimes when he wanted to focus solely on his paintings, Alphonse remembers), and grips his face between his hands. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too." Alphonse swallows down the sudden butterflies in his stomach. God, he loved this man…

 _Would it be wrong if I kissed him?_ Alphonse knows the answer immediately, and ducks his head to hide the shame that wells up as he steps back. _Of course. Someone like Dan must have found someone else by now, someone much better for him, someone who hasn't put their family through hell and constant danger they weren't even aware of._

He doesn't adjust his glasses as they slide down his nose, not immediately, at least, because he didn't want to see the other man's face. He turns instead to the blur that was the green ninja and asks.

"Did you need any help?"

"Uh, yeah," Lloyd says awkwardly, his blurry form shrugging. "but not right this second. Why don't you take some time to catch up with your family?"

He bites back his frustration at that. As much as he wanted to see his family, no matter how many nights he'd spent missing them, feeling like there was a hole in his chest in the shape of their absence, seeing them was another monster entirely. He had no idea what to say to them, where to even begin…

"Alley-oop." Dan grabs his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze that's so familiar, and softly says. "It's going to be fine now."

"Dan-" Whatever he was about to say is cut off as the other presses his slightly chapped lips against his, and his breathe catches in his throat while his mind scrambles whatever thoughts were in his head.

"Come on." Dan tugs him over to where his brother and sister in law were standing. "We all have a lot to talk about."

"Ok…" He agrees breathlessly. "Dandy."

The other man gives his hand one last squeeze before he lets go, and Alphonse quickly adjusts his glasses with hands that suddenly feel shaky, even as a soft smile finds its home on his face. His vision comes back into focus as the lenses sit in their proper place on his nose, showing him (almost) all of the family he'd missed for so long.

 _How did I ever survive all those years without these people?_ He thinks as a weigh lifts off his chest.

* * *

Cole watches the Walkers, and Dan, talk for a bit in wonder before giving the group some privacy. Jay had said that his parents had ostracized his uncle after he'd found a nice guy to settled down with, but they didn't seem nonplused or repulsed at all by the two's show of affection.

 _Had Jay been mistaken?_ That would be terrible, Cole thinks. For Jay to have spent all those years hiding who he was from his parents over a misunderstanding. _But I guess this is better than him having been right._

A part of him wants to go and ask Jay's parents about it, but at the same time he knew it would be a breach of trust that their already shaky friendship would not survive, even if Cole had the best of intentions. So instead he pushes those thoughts aside and instead focuses on what he _can_ do right now.

He approaches Zane, who seems to be mediating some conversation between Hiroshi, Ronin, and Echo. The criminal seems frustrated, while Echo seems confused, while Hiroshi appears to be suspicious of Ronin, and Zane seems to be trying to contain his amusement at the group.

"Hey, Zane." Cole calls out to the white ninja.

"Yes, Cole?" The titanium nindroid responds, turning away from the others with a little smirk.

"I was thinking we could head into town to get some tents and sleeping bags and supplies." He gestures to the half built house. "I figure there isn't much in the way of sleeping arrangements right now."

"I'll go." Ronin offers quickly, which surprises the ghost.

"Uh, sure?" The master of earth agrees. "I guess you can come too."

"Anything to get away from that annoying weed." He throws a glare over his shoulder at Hiroshi. "And I need to look into whether or not the ice box's soul stones made their way to the village near here, since its inhabitants are probably used to weird magical stuff."

"Hiroshi is not a weed." Echo says matter-of-factly, obviously getting used to the criminal's way of addressing everyone. "And why are you looking for the soul stones of an ice box? I thought you were looking for my brother's soul stones?"

"Oh my god, let's go before these two drive me crazy!" Ronin starts stomping off.

"I'm watching you!" Hiroshi calls after him. "Don't even _think_ about taking anything!"

The criminal throws a rude gesture over his shoulder at the forest spirit in response, and Cole is starting to understand why Ronin wanted to leave so badly. He was about as bad as Kai had been when they'd been here last, or likely worse, since the master of fire had lasted almost a week before he'd lost his temper with the forest spirit.

Cole looks at Zane, who shrugs, and the two trail after the criminal, while discussing the kinds of things they'd have to buy. Hiroshi, either out of curiosity or mistrust of Ronin, follows them to the forest's edge. He doesn't go beyond that, but he does watch them leave for a bit before disappearing back into the mass of trees and foliage, and the black ninja finds himself wondering if Hiroshi was able to leave the forest.

 _Probably not._ He thinks absentmindedly. _I mean, if he_ _ **is**_ _the forest, then why would he be able to leave it?_

"Must be lonely…" Cole mutters.

"What was that?" Zane asks, confusion clear on his face.

"Ah, nothing, I was just thinking." He waves off his friend's worry. "It's not important."

"If you say so…" The master of ice says slowly. "So, about the number of tents?"

"Right, right." He chuckles. "How much money do we have to spare?"

* * *

Misako heaves a breath, exhaustion weighing down her arms, making it harder to swing her pickax. She had to keep going, though, it was imperative. She had to keep mining the dark matter.

 _What am I doing?_ A small voice in her mind whispered. _I was meant to be doing something important…_

But she was doing something important. Digging up the dark matter was important. Although something in the back of her mind kept nagging at her, that this wasn't what she had come here to do.

"Alright," Their Lord says with a sigh. "rotate out. It won't do if you all collapse before I have what I need."

Misako lets her pickax drop, her arms aching from the strain they'd been put through. She follows the others, people she doesn't recognize, as they move towards the camp. Others were already moving to take their place mining the dark matter, and in a few hours' time they would be switched back out once more.

 _I have to do something._ The thought nags at her. The faces of people she cared about appears in her mind's eye, Lloyd, her beautiful son, Garmadon, her handsome husband… and Wu. _I promised them I would do something._

All she could think of was the dark matter that their Lord had commanded them to collect.

End chapter thirty six

* * *

AN: So Monday wins with three votes. Thanks to everybody who participated in the poll, along with those who read, review, and favorite this story. ^u^

In other news, there's a tiny detail that I didn't intend when I was writing but found kind of funny when I realized it afterword. Alphonse is far sighted while Dan is near sighted. Together they almost have decent vision!

-Kit


	38. Chapter 37

"Alright, that's the last one." Lloyd says triumphantly, standing up from where he'd been hammering in the stake for the tent he'd been helping set up. Hiroshi had been a little finicky about where he'd let them put the tents, saying that he didn't want them to kill the grass that would end up underneath the tents, so they were pretty spaced out, sticking to places that were mostly dirt. "Are the rest of the tents good?"

"Yep." Cole confirms, jogging over from where he'd been inspecting another tent. "Now we just have to go through figuring out who stays where."

"We should start with Cyrus." Zane says seriously as he steps up. "I believe it would be for the best to get him set up where he will be staying as soon as possible."

"Right, that, uh, makes sense." Lloyd nods. He felt a little guilty, forgetting the comatose man, but there had been so much going on…

"Which tent should we give him?" Cole asks, looking at the various tents set up around the forest.

"How about the crappiest one?" Ronin says with a snort. "I mean, it's not like he'll be awake to appreciate it anyway."

"I do not believe there is feces in any of the tents, Ronin." Echo says, giving Ronin a worried look. "Unless you know something I do not?"

Ronin stares at the nindroid for a full minute before replying.

"I wasn't being literal, rust bucket."

"That is a strange thing to say." Echo's brows furrow. "Also, I am not a bucket, nor am I rusty."

"So I've heard…"

"Anyway." Cole says with an exaggerated roll of the eyes. "Why don't I go get Cyrus while you guys think about it?"

"He should still be in my car." Zane says.

The ghost nods and heads off to go get the comatose man. It's as he's returning with the other cradled in his arms, soul stone perched almost precariously on his chest, that Alphonse takes notice.

"Uh, I'm sorry, but, uh, is that what I think it is?" He breaks away from the little circle he'd ended up making with his family, and comes over (followed by the walkers and Dan, of course. It wasn't likely that they'd let him out of their sight anytime soon). "What am I saying? Of course it is. Is it still attached?"

"You mean his soul stone?" Lloyd asks, surprised. "It should be…"

"Good, then I believe I can help him." Alphonse pushes his glasses up his nose a little, looking determined.

"You can?" Zane sounds intrigued. "How much do you know about soul stones?"

"Considering my… _work_ revolved around them closely? I know a lot." He moves forward, examining Cyrus' relaxed face. "I can put his soul stone back into his body."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Cole has a happy smile on his face, almost beaming, no doubt happy at this turn of events. "Let's get started!"

"Is there anything we will need for this?" Zane asks, still looking like he's thinking something over.

If Lloyd had to guess what was going through the master of ice's mind, he'd say the nindroid was wondering if Alphonse could help them with his own soul stone problems.

"Just something to draw with." He turns to Dan, a fond smile on his face. "Could we use some of your paint, Dandy?"

"Of course, Ally-oop." Dan's smile in return with bright. "Any preference on color?"

"Black will be fine."

It isn't long before Alphonse is all set up. Cyrus is lying before him on the grass, some strange symbol (a rune, probably) drawn onto his chest, with a matching one on Alphonse's hand (and watching him draw that had made Lloyd's hand inexplicably itchy), which he picked up the soul stone with. He muttered something, almost sounding like he was speaking in tongues, yet it all sounded so natural that the master of energy was certain he'd spoken those words so often they were second nature to the other man. He presses the stone to Cyrus' chest and there's a moment of resistance before it starts sinking in, Alphonse's hand following its decent into the comatose man's chest. There's a moment of stillness before Alphonse carefully draws his hand out.

Everyone hold's their breath, watching Cyrus for any signs of movement, but aside from a shift in his breathing they get nothing.

"It's going to take a little bit for his soul to, uh, how do I put this…" Alphonse rubs the back of his neck, accidentally smearing paint across it. "To get comfortable? To reconnect? Hmm…"

"I think we get it." Cole says, giving the man a sympathetic pat on the arm. "Anyway, until then I'm going to move him to his tent."

"Do you know how long until he'll wake up?" Zane asks, and Lloyd is curious and worried about the slip in speech, had Zane entered another vision? But he seemed lucid…

"Anywhere from a couple minutes to a few hours." Alphonse stands up, and Dan hands him a wet towel to wipe his hands on. "Thanks. Um, but, anyway, it all depends on how long it'll take for his soul to settle. But, I've never heard of a soul stone that didn't have its anchor cut rejecting the body, so there's no worry there."

"Anchor?" Lloyd questioned.

"Oh, that's what we call the cord that connects a soul stone to its body. The anchor… because it's kind of like how an anchor is attached to a ship?"

"So it's possible for a soul to be put back after the anchor has been cut?" Zane presses.

"Yeah, but the conditions also affect how likely it'll be to take." Dan catches the other man's eye and gestures to his neck. After a bit of confusion Alphonse realizes what the other means and starts trying to wipe away the smudged paint.

"What kind of conditions?"

"The length of time since the anchor was cut. It's a lot like if your heart stopped, I guess, since you start dying slowly, but if it starts up again you'll either be fine or have some problems… and the person's age. The older a person is, the harder it is for their souls to reattach after having their anchor cut. I've heard two reasons. The first is that younger souls are more pliable, better able to recover from damage. Of course, that assumes every soul is born new. The other is that older people are just closer to death, and thus are less likely to choose to return when given the option." Alphonse shrugs uncomfortably. "I'm not sure either theory holds any weight, though… I've seen-."

He stops talking suddenly, looking over at Dan with guilt (and maybe shame, too?), and then down at the towel that he was wringing in his hands.

"I see…" Zane says thoughtfully. "Thank you for sharing that information, Alphonse. If I have any other questions regarding this matter, is it alright if I ask you?"

"Of course." Alphonse gives them a shaky smile. "If it'll help, you can ask me anything."

Zane nods once before he walks off.

Lloyd watches him go curiously. That had been… odd, even for the nindroid.

"Huh." Cole says softly. And, yeah, that about summed it up, didn't it? _Huh…_

* * *

"Pixal, we need to stop the ship!" Garmadon says urgently. Days had passed uneventfully, tensions beginning to run high as the two brothers slowly got on the other's last nerve, until Garmadon had excused himself to the deck of the ship in order to cool off. "There was a marking on one of those trees."

The ex-evil Lord quickly makes his way towards the back of the ship, attempting to catch another glimpse of what he thought he saw.

"Why are we slowing?" Wu's agitated voice carries from the entrance to the ship. Garmadon doesn't answer his brother's question, no doubt Pixal had filled him in when she'd begun slowing the ship. The other sensei doesn't waste any time making his way over to his brother and growling at him. "We do not have time for detours!"

"I'm certain there was a mark on one of those trees." Garmadon tries to contain his own agitation. "It could be the ninja."

"So?" Wu says stubbornly.

"So we should look into it."

"I already told you, we do not have time for any detours." As if to accentuate his point he stamps his walking stick down, but to Garmadon it just makes his brother seem like a petulant child.

"We have no idea what is on this island." He crosses his arms, staring down his little brother. "To leave the ninja lost out there on their own would be downright cruel."

"Cruel?" Wu frowns at him. "Cruel was letting Misako come here on her own."

His brother's words were akin to a slap in the face.

"Misako was not alone."

"No, I'm sure a bunch of archeologists are adequate protection in your book!"

"Misako is not a child!" He practically growls at his brother. "She made her choice. What would you have me do? Forbid her from going as if I could force her to stay?"

"I would have at least made her bring someone who could protect her along!"

"How would that have changed anything? Unless you've forgotten, Misako knows spinjitzu!" Now they were both yelling at each other. "She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself!"

"That is why this is all your fault!" Wu was crowding his space, and Garmadon, through all the anger clouding his thoughts, still managed to worry that this might come to blows.

"Nothing's even happened yet!"

"We don't know that!" Wu stepped just a little bit closer, his voice dropping from an angry yell to a poisonous growl. "And if anything does happen, you'll have to live with the fact that you dragged your feet when you should have been there to save her."

"…at least I _trust_ her." He bites back. "Unlike you, I consider Misako an equal, which is why she chose _me_."

It was a low blow, and though he immediately regretted the words, in the heat of the moment he couldn't take them back.

"She chose you," There's a fire in his brother's eyes that Garmadon could easily identify as hatred. "because you stole _my_ letter and lied to her. If she'd known the truth, she would never have chosen a low down _snake_ like you."

He couldn't help but flinch a little at those words, at the hatred in his brother's eyes, at the vicious look of victory that appeared on his brother's face as Garmadon's own pain showed on his face. He didn't look, but he knew his fingers would be turning pale from how hard he was squeezing his fists, and the urge to hurt his brother was so unnaturally strong, like whispers of anger in his ear, that Garmadon knew this couldn't go on.

 _If I stay we'll kill each other._

"I'm going to go find the others." He declares coldly, backing up slowly, before turning and jumping onto shore.

His brother doesn't say goodbye, or try to stop him, but at least he doesn't attempt any last barbs (not that he'd need any, seeing as he'd probably felt he'd won the argument), and Garmadon can only feel numbly thankfully for small mercies.

He wasn't the crying type. His father had 'cured' him of that at an early age, and his years of dealing with crooked thieves and people just waiting for the first sign of weakness in order to stab you in the back had compounded that… and now wasn't the time nor the place for such frivolities, anyway. So he did what he'd always done, take a deep breath, and force his emotions to the wayside. He was a little out of practice, as the last time he'd truly done this was when we was… still _Lord_ Garmadon, and not Sensei Garmadon, and it felt a little too much like he could so easily become that-

 _Low down_ _ **snake**_ _!_ His brother's words ring in his ears.

"That won't happen." He says out loud. "I'm different. No longer under that influence of the great devourer's venom. I _will not_ let myself become that again."

He'd said similar things before, mantras he'd repeat at times the guilt over his past actions felt insurmountable. Taking a few deep breaths, he allows himself to become steel in spirit, and heads towards where he thought he saw the tree with the symbol carved in it.

* * *

Kai hated that he couldn't stay in the same place. But he had to eat, and had to find water, so he was forced to move his makeshift bases much more frequently than he had liked. Days had passed and he hadn't come across anyone, his wrist had mostly healed, aside from a dull ache that lingered (so definitely sprained, not fractured, thank god). No one had found him, and he hadn't found them, either, which was aggravating.

Kai carved the next symbol a little more fiercely than he'd intended, sending splinters flying, and causing his sword to stick, so he had to roughly tug it out of the wood. It came out suddenly, sending him sprawling, and an unexplainable anger rises to a boiling point, causing the fire ninja to toss his sword with a curse.

Seconds drag on before Kai lets out an even louder curse. Of _course_ he'd be stupid enough to throw away his weapon, and of _course_ it wasn't in the direction of the arrow he'd just carved, which meant he had to go off path to find his sword and hope he'd make his way back and _then_ head the way he'd indicated!

One more curse for good measure and then the master of fire begins to stomp his way through the foliage and underbrush. In his foul mood caution wasn't a high priority, and so when he stepped on a sudden, sharp incline (or decline, from his position), he lost his footing and went tumbling down.

The red ninja lays there for a moment, trying to catch the breath that had been knocked out of him, before slowly climbing to his feet.

 _So much for going back._ Kai thinks as he glares at the incline. _There's no way I'm getting back up there._

Glancing around at the forest around him, searching for any glint that could be his sword, Kai finds himself wishing more and more he'd offered to get Sensei Wu himself. At least then he'd still be on the ship. Probably.

There's a slight glint, and Kai lets out a slight breath of relief that he hadn't managed to lose his sword, too. He makes his way over quickly, as quickly as he could manage through the foliage, following the glint of his sword until finally-

"What…?" He breathes out, shocked.

"Kai." His father says warmly, Kai's sword held in that familiar way he always did when he was evaluating one. "This one isn't bad; you've been getting better."

"I… didn't make that." Kai says slowly, hesitating on approaching the sight before him. "Dad, I…"

"Oh? Did your sister make it, then?" He looks back down at the blade, contemplatively. "Yes, I suppose that makes sense."

"Dad…" Kai can't hide the tightness in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

It wasn't exactly what he wanted to ask, but it was close enough for the time being. Besides, his dad had always been good at finding the meaning behind Kai's words, even when he'd been trying so hard to hide something from him. He remembered hating it when he was younger, and then missing it so badly after he'd died.

No one had known him better than his father had.

"What am I doing here?" His father chuckles, lighthearted, as if Kai had said something funny. "I'm here for you, son."

Kai's brow furrow in confusion at that. He glances behind him, back at the steep incline, and finds himself asking.

"Am I… dead?" Because if he was, being dead felt exactly the same as feeling alive, along with all the same aches and pains he felt before.

"No." His father laughs, waving a hand as if waving the thought away. And then his eyes settle on Kai in a way that unsettles the master of fire. "Not yet, anyway."

 _Predatory._ Kai thinks, in a distant part of his mind.

"What… what do you mean 'not yet?'"

His father's eyes soften (yet that hard edge in them remains), and he holds the sword out to Kai.

"Son… I know this is a lot to ask of you, but I want you to come with me." Kai shifts a little closer, not close enough to grab the sword, and his father urges his forward with his other hand. "I've been so terribly lonely without you or your sister around."

Kai hesitates at that.

"What about Nya?"

"What?" His father's face shows confusion, although he keeps his smile plastered on (looking faker by the minute).

"I can't-, I can't just leave Nya alone." He shakes his head. His head felt… off. Foggy? Thinking about his sister now, it was harder than it should have been, especially as everything had felt fine before, but… but something was off.

"She'll be fine." His father (no, wait, that couldn't be his father, he was dead) tries to say reassuringly. "We can come back for her later."

"I…" Kai hesitated. Why was he hesitating? His father held out his sword, wasn't he looking for that? He should take it at least. "She'll be lonely, though."

He steps forward, reaching for the sword, because this was what he was looking for. He should take it, and then he can figure out what's so off about his father (not father). Just before his fingers brush the handle there's a sudden sense of _danger_ that forces him to act on instinct and jump back.

Kai feels shaken, he blinks, meets his father's angry stare. Why was his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest?

"Kai." His father says disapprovingly. "Come here."

He almost moves forward on instinct, so used to his father's scolding tone and knowing that it'd be pointless to put it off, but instead he stands rooted to the spot.

"What…?" He swallows, studying his father's face, knowing something was _so wrong_ and yet being unable to figure out what it was.

"Kai… are you going to force me to suffer all alone?" His 'father' shifts tone rapidly, going from angry to sad. The master of fire takes half a step forward, and he sees his father smile, that predatory glint in his eyes stopping Kai from going any farther than that.

"You aren't my father." The words aren't as sure as they should be, considering.

"Of course I'm your father." His 'father' frowns at him. "Don't you remember me? Am I not exactly as you remember me?"

"You…" Kai frowns, because the man was right, in a way. The outfit, the hair, it was everything Kai tried to think about when he thought about his father. The specificity, down to the last detail… that was suspicious. "You're right."

"See?" His 'father' smiles again, and beckons him closer. "Now are you going to leave your dear dad all alone?"

"No." He shake his head, stepping closer to this imposter, and prays he's not wrong as he reaches for the sword again. "I'm not."

He strikes as soon as that sense of danger flairs, throwing a large fireball at the imposter while jumping back. He's greeted by the sight of… of it melting (of his father's face melting), to reveal some hideous, carnivorous plant that began to flail as the fire scorched it.

More clear headed, and feeling horrified and horrible, Kai shoots more fire at the creature that had just tried to eat him. He wasn't sure how it was making sound before, _if_ it was, but now all it does is flail, throwing its vines wide, thumping onto the ground in an attempt to put the fires out.

Kai doesn't let up until there's nothing but ash left of the thing. And then he's panting, breathing heavy, and before he knows it his vision blurs, and he curses himself.

He couldn't get it out of his mind, the sight of his father's face melting. He wants to burn that thing even more, until even the ash is nothing, but tears quickly blur his vision. It replays in his head, and he presses his hands against his eyes until he's seeing colors dancing behind his lids, but that doesn't stop it.

"I-I'm," He forces out between heavy, shuttering breaths and body wracking sobs. "so so-sor-ry, D-ad…"

Just a little ways from him, his sword sits innocently among a pile of ash.

End chapter thirty seven


	39. Chapter 38

Garmadon hurries through the forest, eyes sharp as he looked for the next symbol that Kai had carved into one of the trees, or for the ninja himself. Flashes of bright red flowers were annoyingly distracting, each one making him think it was part of the master of fire's gi.

The next carving gives him pause, its lines were sloppy and at one section a chunk had been taken out of the tree. Something had happened… Had the red ninja been attacked? Glancing around, Garmadon couldn't see any sign of a struggle, but that was only in the immediate area. If Kai had chosen to run (or more likely, moved to a place where he was better able to fight), then there wouldn't be any sign of a struggle nearby.

It didn't take long for him to find signs of something having fallen down a hill. Garmadon had no idea whether it would be the master of fire he'd find at the bottom (hopefully uninjured), or whatever had interrupted him while he was carving, but he had to check.

Due to the steep slope it took him some time to make his way down without slipping and falling himself. Once he was down there he didn't immediately see anything, which was as much of a relief as a worry, since it meant that whatever had happened hadn't ended here. Taking a moment to examine his surroundings closely, he searches for any little signs of someone moving through the forest. This wasn't the first time he'd had to do this, so he had some skill in the matter.

His relief at finding Kai was short lived. The master of fire was on his knees, tear stains streaking his face and eyes red, and he was staring blankly at his sword among a pile of ash. Worry immediately filled him.

"Kai, are you alright?" He asks the master of fire gently, kneeling down to place a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I-" Kai's voice is rough, and he takes a moment to clear it before continuing. "It wasn't him."

He had no idea what the other was talking about, but it was clear something had happened. He shifts a little closer, wraps an arm around the boy's shoulders and says.

"What happened?" He feels Kai's shoulders begin to tremble as he shakes his head. So he wasn't willing to talk about it. That was alright. Garmadon wasn't going to force him. "It's ok."

They stay like that for a time, until the sun began to grow weak, and they were forced to get started on making camp.

"Not here." Kai had insisted, and Garmadon didn't argue. He picked up the other's sword for him, brushing off the ash that clung to it, and then carefully offered the blade to the boy. "…Thanks."

The master of fire takes it hesitantly, before moving over towards the nearest tree to mark their path, and carefully asking.

"Are the others alright?"

"Wu is still with the ship, which he is sailing on the river to the heart of the Dark Island, but Nya and Skylor disappeared in the storm as you did." Garmadon wishes he could assuage the boy's worry, but to lie would be pointless. It was best that they both kept an eye out for the remaining two who were missing.

"Why is Wu sailing the Bounty there?" Kai puts his sword away. "I mean, after we've found the others, sure, but before?"

"…He believes that Misako is in danger." He admits through gritted teeth, the memory of their argument still fresh in his mind.

"Oh." Kai glances back in the direction where the ash and his sword had lain. "And what about you? Why aren't you on that ship with him?"

There are many answers Garmadon could give to that. The truth would be too painful to recount, and paint his brother in a harsh light that he had no interest in imprinting on one of his students, but to outright lie would only draw the red ninja's suspicion.

"…I decided it would be for the best to gather everyone else before we headed into territory that we don't know." Not entirely wrong but not entirely truthful, either. It left a bad taste in his mouth, as this was still deception, no matter his reasons.

"Right." Kai nods. "So, any plans on that?"

"First we make our way to the river." Garmadon starts to walk, not wanting to waste any more daylight than they already had. They needed to have a camp set up _before_ nightfall came. Who knows what kinds of creatures prowled in the darkness on this island? "Once we find it, we either find or create some wet logs to burn. Hopefully the others will see the smoke and follow it to us."

"Hopefully that'll make the smoke thicker." Kai grumbles. He must have been attempting a similar strategy all this time, only for the breeze and the trees to dissipate whatever his campfires had created (He refused to believe that that something had happened to the others).

When they've found a good spot to settle, Kai offers to find something to eat while he creates the campfire. The master of fire would have been better able to get the twigs they'd collect to catch aflame, but Garmadon figured that Kai had a reason for this choice (whether it simply be boredom or due to whatever had happened), so he just agreed.

He'd try asking about what had happened again after they'd eaten. He didn't want to push the master of fire into talking to him if he didn't want to, but he wanted the other to know that he would be here for him if he needed. Kai was important to his son, a brother in every way except blood, and Garmadon appreciated and respected the master of fire for that. He wasn't going to let the boy suffer in silence if he was willing to let him help.

* * *

"Can this ship not go any faster?!" Wu snaps for what seemed to be the tenth time that day. Pixal was worried for the man, who only seemed to fall deeper into his obsession since his brother's departure.

"As I have said before, this is as fast as we can go without the boosters."

"Well it is not fast enough."

Wu paces the ship like a caged animal, agitation clear in his every word and action.

"Sensei Wu…" Pixal starts carefully. She was not sure how to approach this, she was neither an expert in human interaction nor familiar with the man himself, but something had to be said. "have you forgotten your allies?"

"What?" The old sensei snaps at her. "Just what are you talking about?"

"They are all here to help Misako, too." She hopes her words wouldn't just inflame the man's anger, as his brother's had. "They share the same goal as you, but they must also survive the Dark Island and find their way back to us."

"So you're on his side, then?" He huffs.

"No." Pixal tries not to sigh. "I am on Misako's side. Petty squabbles will not help her, we need to function as a team."

Sensei Wu scoffs, and heads to the kitchen. He's completely silent for a time, brewing himself some tea, and it's only after he's had a nice long sip of his first cup that Pixal hears the man speaking quietly.

"Remember my allies…"

She isn't sure what to make of it at first, but after he's finished off the pot of tea he goes to meditate, and Pixal can only hope she'd gotten through to him.

* * *

Kai had taken the time to try and scrub away the evidence of his tears before he'd truly started looking for food. Even though Sensei Garmadon had seen everything already, Kai didn't want to worry Nya if- no, _when_ they find her.

Finding food was about as difficult as it'd been the entire time. He avoided any berries, as he hadn't even been able to identify them even back on Ninjago. For all he knew every single berry on the Dark Island was some variant of poisonous or hallucinogenic, or even both! Instead he focused on trying to catch small animals and collecting the few fruit-like things he ended up running across. When they got to the river they could try their hands at fishing, but until then, this would have to do.

When Kai arrived back at the site they'd chosen for their camp, Sensei Garmadon had already gotten the fire started. They worked on cooking what he'd brought in silence for a time before the older man breaks it.

"Kai," He says in that soft, yet strong way that Kai couldn't help but associate with dads. "I understand if you would rather not tell me what happened earlier, but I am willing to listen if you need to speak to someone about it."

Kai gritted his teeth as those words brought back the image of his father's face melting back to the forefront of his mind. He didn't want to start crying again, he was used to putting up a tough guy persona, after all… but despite himself he found his eyes beginning to tear up.

Despite their rocky start after he'd turned over a new leaf, Kai had come to greatly respect Sensei Garmadon. Lloyd was obviously important to the man, to the point that he would risk going back to an island controlled by his old master back when he was evil just to make sure Lloyd would be alright. Kai remembered spending many nights comforting the master of energy until he'd ended up crying himself to sleep after they'd lost Sensei Garmadon. He knew that pain all too well, having lost his own father, and so he could relate.

"It-" With the first word the dam breaks, and he's a sobbing wreck again. "It took his face." Garmadon moves closer and puts a comforting hand on his back. Kai tries to focus on that, the warmth, the strength of the old master's hand, rather than the scene replaying in his head, but no matter how he tries it keeps coming back. "He- _it_ tried to… I-it tried to make me… and then I burned it… but he m-elt-ed…"

He was quickly moving into unintelligible, and he clenching his fists hard enough to feel his nails bite into his skin. It's a surprise when the older man pulls him in close and wraps him up in a hug, calmly and softly saying.

"I'm sorry." Kai wanted to scoff at the man, tell him he had nothing to apologize for, or brush the other's hug off and scoff about how this whole thing was stupid. Instead he buried his face in the older man's shirt and unclenched his fists long enough to grab a fistful of his clothing. "It's okay."

It's stupid. It's stupid just how much this makes Kai think of his own father. Memories painfully dredged up to the surface causing the master of fire to make connections he otherwise wouldn't, he tries to reason with himself as if he were Zane. That didn't stop it, though, because as much as he wanted to curse this whole thing, he wasn't thinking of _that encounter_ , but of the times his father had hugged him like this.

Once when he was younger and had insisted on throwing a birthday party because that's what all the cool kids were doing, which his father had accommodated to the best of his ability as a single father running a blacksmithing shop that was often barely in the black, only for no one to show up. He'd thrown a fit at first, trashed what his father had lovingly put together, and it was only after his father had calmed him down that he'd broken down into tears. He was about seven at the time, he thinks, because he wasn't yet at the point where he'd somehow gotten it into his head that liking your parents wasn't cool.

The next time was after he'd gotten into a pretty bad fist fight when he was eleven. It wasn't the first time Kai had ever fought, but it had been the first time he'd broken a bone, and it'd hurt more than anything he'd ever experienced before. His father had pulled into a quick hug, telling him it'd be alright, before he rushed him to the hospital.

The last time had been after his first (and only) serious girlfriend. He'd thought they would be together forever, and then she'd dumped him with a simple 'it's not working out.' Back then he'd scorned his father's attempts at comfort, blamed him for his own problems, and thrown the man's own short comings back into his face.

He'd been rebellious, a horrible son, and his dad had ended up working himself into an early grave to keep him and Nya happy and healthy.

"…I'm so sorry Dad." He whispers hoarsely and hugs the other a little tighter. "I miss you so much."

He's glad when the other doesn't say anything, because he wanted to pretend for a minute that he really was talking to his father again. Apologizing one last time, for his every mistake, for every time they'd argued, for everything his father had done he hadn't appreciated.

The sky is completely dark by the time Kai gets a hold of himself and pulls away from the older man, self-consciously rubbing at his wet face and muttering.

"Sorry about that."

"It's fine." Garmadon assures him.

Kai busies himself with rekindling the dying fire so they can cook what he'd found so he doesn't have to see what kind of face the other is making. He only pauses when a strong hand finds his shoulder. He hesitates, but glances over at Sensei Garmadon, who has a look of compassion in his eyes.

"…Thanks." He breaths out, tension leaving his body finally. "I feel better."

Completely drained, maybe even hollowed out a bit, but better.

"If you ever want to talk again, I'm here." Sensei Garmadon says simply, giving the red ninja's shoulder a squeeze before letting go and helping him to prepare the food they were going to cook.

"I'll remember that."

* * *

"I… I think we lost them." Nya huffs, turning to look back the way they had been running. "I can't believe those monkeys, chasing us over a bit of fruit!"

"Those were apes." Skylor says, just as out of breath from the run as the master of water. "And for all we know that's their only food source. It would make sense that they would want to keep any other animals from taking any."

"Whatever." Nya tries to bite back the agitation she feels. Skylor had been nothing but pleasant through these trying days, and she didn't want to bite her head off just because they hadn't managed to find her brother just yet. "So, I guess we'll be stuck waiting until one of them makes camp again before we can make sure we're back on the right track."

It had been surprising, shortly after getting separated, the two women had spotted smoke in the distance, which Nya had been certain was her brother… only, later, there had been _another_ column of smoke that was rising into the air. Nya was certain that only the three of them had been tossed from the ship in the storm, and since she and Skylor were together, that left her wondering just who the other person on the island was.

 _It also means there's a fifty-fifty chance that the smoke we chose to follow will lead to my brother._ Nya didn't like the chance that they wouldn't find him first. _On the other hand, the other smoke could be from Misako's camp._

That second thought was more comforting, especially after Skylor had pointed out that the smoke columns looked like they were getting closer. Converging, she had said. So one had seen the other and was actively heading towards it…

"It's gotten fairly late already." Skylor says comfortingly. "I'm sure we won't have to wait long."

"Yeah." The master of water agrees half-heartedly. "Now that we've gotten away from those _apes_ do you think it'll be less hazardous to search for some food?"

"I hope so." The restaurant owner rubs her stomach. "I'm starving."

Nya was glad that the food on this island was so plentiful, at least in this region, because it made things easier on them. That and her powers meaning that they always had a source of fresh water made surviving just a matter of avoiding any vicious animals or poisonous plants.

Once they had their food, they got started on a campfire. Skylor did most of the cooking for them, claiming that she spent almost as much time in the kitchens of her restaurants as she did waiting tables. Nya had felt bad about that, a little bit, but Skylor had waved off her worries. Instead, while the other cooked, Nya climbed one of the nearby trees to the highest she could go before the branches became too thin to hold her weight. She would stay up there until Skylor called her down to eat, either waiting for the smoke pillars from the other two to appear or just watching their plumes go high into the sky.

 _Has Kai seen our smoke, too?_ She found herself wondering. _Did he have to guess which is us?_

He hadn't chosen right, since none of the smoke pillars ever seemed to be moving towards the pair. Of course, Kai had no way of knowing that Nya and Skylor were together, so maybe he assumed that the two pillars were each of them. In that case, he'd just rendezvous with one before meeting the other.

"It'll be fine." The master of water whispers into the cool night air. "Kai will find Misako, and then we'll find them."

Even as agitation bit at her and worry filled her mind, Nya held fast to her determination. She would find her brother come hell or high water. She wasn't going to lose the only family she had left.

 _Just wait, Kai._ Nya worries her lip. _And don't do anything stupid while you're on your own…_

* * *

 _ **Hykos…**_ The little blue jay's voice was warbling with tears he had no way of shedding as he speaks. _**It still hurts.**_

Viperae sighs. He hadn't wanted to take back control so soon. If Jay hadn't been so close to clawing off his own skin due to the pain he would have happily let the blue jay wander along as if Cryptor wasn't directing them exactly where Hykos- (ugh, foolish little boy, affecting his thoughts!) where _viperae_ wanted them to go. Unfortunately, it seemed even the muted senses of being in the 'back seat' so to speak, wasn't a relief to the other.

"This can't last forever, blue jay." He tries to say reassuringly.

 _ **Yeah, and when it's over I'll be like you, right?**_ The master of lightning bites out agitatedly.

Viperae wanted to question the other, maybe even applaud him for being able to figure that out. He didn't, because he knew it wouldn't be taken well right now. The darkness that was now a part of the Dark Island had a way of drawing out the worst in people, especially those who weren't used to it's effects. With the darkness so active, so thick in the vary air, it would wreak havoc with anyone who let their guard down for even a second.

 _And give me a massive headache._ He thought with a huff.

"That's right, blue Jay." Hykos- (damn it) _Viperae_ answers plainly. "Congratulations, it seems you're the second person among thousands that's turned out to be… compatible with the dark fluid."

He can feel the child's agitation, nestled against his own heart like barbed wire, but it was better than the other focusing on the pain the transformation caused. Viperae knew how torturous it could be, and between his powers amplifying every bio-electric signal, making his pain somewhere between three to five times worse than an average persons, and the dark energy in this island resonating with his own unpleasantly, this was going to be pure hell. Hykos had a high tolerance for pain, and even his hands were starting to shake.

 _This isn't good._ He grits his teeth, eyeing Cryptor as he patrols their little camp for any signs of danger. _I won't be able to properly write runes if my hands are shaky._

That would cut down on a third of his usual magic. That wouldn't be such a big deal, he could get away with only seventy percent of his usual magic tricks, but that was assuming that he was physically fine. The transformation was taking massive amounts of energy by itself, so he couldn't do any big spells, and he would also wear himself out pretty quickly if he fought for too long. He couldn't _die_ but… but he didn't want to be at the mercy of whatever found him. Cryptor alone wouldn't be enough protection.

 _If that other Gollum was smart enough to make its way here instead of falling to the ocean floor with the ship, then maybe I'd be fine._ The memory of what happened is enough to drag down his mood. His crew, what little followers he'd managed to gather, all drowned… _And our own drowning so close to this damn island jump starting this torture._

If only he had been paying more attention. He shouldn't have allowed himself to sleep so close to their arrival. Maybe if he'd been aware, more alert, he would have been able to save the ship. Been able to save his followers.

 _ **Hykos?**_ The little blue jay sounds curious. _**You seem tense.**_

"I'm fine." He was always fine. Always… "Why don't you try and get some rest?"

 _ **How am I even supposed to do that when you're awake?**_ The child grumbles unhappily.

"Just try." Hy- Viperae closes his eyes, because maybe that'll help the other, and focuses on the background noise of the world. The chaotic mess of noises that make up every magic signature in the universe, all vying for the same space, and picks out whatever notes he can to hum along to.

He's so exhausted that before he knows it they're both asleep.

End chapter thirty eight.


	40. Chapter 39

Kai wishes he had anything to sharpen his blade with. His sword was good, had lasted him a couple dozen trees, but now its blade was dull. Carving the symbols was a herculean effort. He considered switching to a different method, of burning the symbols into the bark, but that had drawbacks Kai didn't want to risk. It wasn't like there were any rangers that could help intervene should he accidentally cause a forest fire. And, unfortunately, Sensei Garmadon didn't have any weapons on him but his own hands.

 _Note to self,_ the master of fire thinks with a huff as he puts his sword away. _The next time you decide to travel to an uninhabited island where there's a chance of you getting separated from the others, always make sure to pack some sharpening steel._

In the mean time he'd have to keep an eye out for any stones he could use to the same effect. They wouldn't be as good as sharpening steel, but if it even helped him to hone his blade's edge even a little it would help.

Of course, he couldn't spend much time looking for rocks when he had to be aware of his surroundings. Who knew what other horrible creatures lived here? …that being said. Constant vigilance was surprisingly hard when it was just him and Sensei Garmadon. Boredom, as no vicious monsters jumped out of the wood work, began to set in.

The red ninja found his mind starting to wander. First to his sister, then to Skylor, his mind going over possibilities he would rather not think too deeply on. Both of them were strong women, resourceful and each skillful in their own way. They could take care of themselves… assuming that they didn't run into something worse than he had. Forcing his thoughts away from that, he focused instead on the first thought to pop into his head next. That horrible tea they were supposed to be drinking daily.

It had already been a few days since they'd had any, or at least since Kai had. There was a chance Nya had made it back to the ship where they kept the lotus breaker. Still, however long it would take for the effects to fully ware off must have already passed by now. Why else would it need to be drunk daily?

 _What kinds of ways are we effecting this whole mess?_ He grits his teeth as agitation bubbles up to the surface at that thought. Zane had made it clear their 'powers' were both a hindrance and a help, but there was no telling which way it would go.

"Kai." Sensei Garmadon says suddenly, tone cautious, and the master of fire is instantly on guard. He draws his sword and turns to face the direction that the other man was looking. "Who's there?"

Kai isn't sure what the older man expects, if it were Nya or Skylor then they wouldn't have hesitated to approach them. Of course, there _was_ Misako's crew to think about. They probably wouldn't be able to recognize them (despite how famous the master of fire was), and so the caution on approaching would make sense…

It doesn't take long before someone slips from behind a tree, and the sight causes Kai's grip on his sword to tighten.

"Viperae." He growls. What was the villain doing here on the Dark Island?

"Fancy running into you here~." He laughs. The sound grates on Kai's nerves. "I'd ask what you're doing here… but I can probably guess."

Out of the corner of his eye he sees Sensei Garmadon tense. Viperae knew about Misako, or at least he'd implied he knew about her presence here. That wasn't good. Did he know why she'd come here? Had he decided to drop by in order to stop her from finding anything on him? Of course, that meant that there was something here worth keeping a secret.

"What do you want?" Kai snaps at the villain, who meets his glower with a smirk.

"What do I want~?" Viperae hums thoughtfully, one hand coming up to his chin while his eyes move away and towards the sky, as if they weren't worth keeping in his line of sight at all times. "That's quite a question, you know! I want a lot of things~."

And that was it, Kai's self-control snapped. He moves forward, growling low in his throat and sword at the ready, when Sensei Garmadon's hand on his chest stops him short. He glances to the older man, ready to yell out questions of what he's doing, but the expression on his face causes the master of fire to stop short.

"You're covered in bruises." Sensei Garmadon's face is pinched with worry. "…and your hands are shaking."

Looking at the villain once more, Kai sees what it is that had the other so worried. It was hard to tell at first, especially with the black and purple outfit the other had donned, but there were purple bruises around his neck and peeking out under his sleeves, and his hands _were_ shaking. Very noticeably so.

"Ah, that." Viperae lets out a little huff. "Well, it can hardly be helped when you're in a shipwreck."

"A… shipwreck?" The master of fire parrots in disbelief. "Are you trying to get killed?!"

"You say that as if I had a choice in the matter." The villain deadpans back, raising an eyebrow. Kai grits his teeth, the urge to attack the other was mounting with every word the parasite spoke. "Although, on that matter, I do have a proposition for you."

"Ugh, no one here is going to join you!" He snaps.

"I wouldn't want a loose cannon like you anyway." Viperae sniffs, looking down his nose at the red ninja. Kai's patience (what little he had) has run out, and he rushes the other. Viperae dodges back, avoiding Kai's first slash easily, and then there's a hand on his chest and someone is sweeping his legs out from under him. He stares up at Sensei Garmadon in disbelief while he wheezes out a pained breath.

"Do you want to injure Jay further?" The older man says reasonably, looking apologetic for his actions.

"…no." Kai says sullenly, anger giving way to shame. This wasn't the first time he'd attacked Viperae with little regard to Jay's safety, but at least before he'd been aiming to disable his foe… this time he'd been aiming to kill. He accepts the Sensei's offer of a hand to help him stand. "Sorry, Sensei."

"We cannot afford to let our emotions rule our actions here." Sensei Garmadon says sternly, although not unkindly. "If we do, this island will tear us apart." Kai wanted to ask just how an island could do that, it certainly hadn't the last time they were here, but the other man turns and addresses Viperae before he can. "Just what kind of deal do you have in mind?"

"Smart man~." He chuckles. "I doubt there is much info about the Dark Island, since it was underwater for hundreds of years at least… but, lucky you, I happen to know quite a bit about it! I can help you navigate the perils of this island."

"And just what do you get out of this?" Sensei Garmadon asks cautiously.

"I mentioned we got into a crash, didn't I?" Viperae shows his hands, both shaking badly. "Unfortunately I was the only survivor, and it left me in a rather precarious position. All I ask for is a simple truce. We work together while on the Dark Island… keep each other safe."

"You want us to be your body guards?" Kai scoffs. "Like hell we'd protect you!"

"Hm… too bad~." Viperae hums, shrugging and pinning Kai with a hard stare. "I thought you actually cared about the blue jay. I suppose I was wrong…"

He turns to leave, only to stop when the red ninja yells out.

"J-just what is that supposed to mean?!"

"If you _must_ know…" All of the amusement seemed to have drained out of the villain's voice, leaving it dripping with contempt that sent a chill down the master of fire's spine. "All of your actions show a clear disregard for your 'friend's' life. We could die out here, and here you are, focusing on petty grievances."

He bristles. Anger fueled by shame and hatred for the person before him. He forces himself to put his sword away as he swiftly approaches the other, Sensei Garmadon's words the only thing keeping him grounded at this moment. He grabs a fistful of the villain's shirt and pulls him close, using the inches he had over Jay to glower down at the other.

"Let's get one thing straight." It's aggravating how unaffected Viperae looked. "There is no 'we.' You're just a parasite taking advantage of my friend."

"I believe a more accurate description would be symbiont."

"…What?"

"The little blue jay doesn't get nothing out of this deal." Viperae grabs onto Kai's wrist, and despite his trembling fingers his grip is strong. "After all, without me your friend would be dead twice over."

Kai has no answer to that, because the other was right, but he didn't want to give the villain the satisfaction of admitting that. Instead he lets the other's shirt go, which prompts him to let go of Kai's wrist, and steps back while saying.

"Fine."

"Fine?"

"Fine, we'll agree to a truce." Kai snaps. "But only because I don't trust you to keep my friend safe."

The approving (possibly proud?) look that Sensei Garmadon gives him as he moves past him to continue the way they were going before is a balm to his agitation. He'd kept in control, mostly, and now they had Jay close by. If there was something hidden here that held the secret to defeating Viperae, they knew exactly where the villain was, rather than having to try and hunt him down or draw him out.

If luck was on their side, then Misako had found whatever it was, and they wouldn't need anything they'd have to go out of their way to get. Then they could get rid of that parasitic bastard and bring back not only Lloyd's mom, but their missing friend, as well.

Kai tried to keep that thought in mind, along with Sensei Garmadon's words, when Viperae's humming began to grate on his nerves.

 _Just wait until we find your weakness._ The master of fire promises silently. _Then you'll regret ever having messed with one of us._

* * *

Zane looked down at the paper Alphonse had given him for the hundredth time since he'd gotten it.

" _You're looking for your soul shards?"_ The man had asked, surprised. _"I can help you, yes. We-, uh, t-they had a method for tracking down shards of the immortal's soul…"_

" _Anything would help."_ Zane had been happy. Right now they were mostly searching in the dark, trying to find any soul stone shards and hoping that they would be his. Alphonse had written something down on a piece of paper and handed it to the titanium nindroid.

" _This spell lets you track down more of the same stone if you already have a shard. Just put it on the paper and read the spell out loud. It'll either guide you to the nearest or the largest, whichever energy source is stronger."_

" _Thank you, Alphonse. This will help greatly."_ Zane had thought, for a moment, that this problem had been solved, but Alphonse had stopped him from leaving with it by saying.

" _You can't use that spell, Zane."_

" _What?"_ He'd been confused. Why give it to him if he couldn't use it? _"Why not?"_

" _Because… well, do you know why magic users aren't that common, even though magic is so powerful?"_

" _I assumed it was a mostly dead art."_

" _I… guess that's part of it."_ Alphonse had looked uncomfortable as he'd said that, averting his gaze. _"But, the truth is that spell casting is dangerous to the user's health."_

" _Because of the risk of miscasting?"_

" _Well, yes, but also because of where the spells get their energy from."_ Alphonse had taken a deep breath before meeting his eyes, an anxious look swirling in their depths. _"It uses the life force of the caster. If they aren't careful, or try to cast a spell too powerful, then they could kill themselves."_

"… _oh."_ Alphonse hadn't had to say any more than that. Why it was that _Zane_ couldn't cast the spell was clear. As his soul stone was broken it was already leaking energy at a dangerous rate, if he tried to cast any spells on top of that, he'd only be shortening their time to find all of his shards before he died. _"I'll keep that in mind."_

It didn't seem like that much of a dilemma at first. Just have someone else cast the spell. But now that he knew the risks, well, he was worried about the others casting the spell. What kind of miscasting would happen if they messed it up? And while he knew he could trust that his brother would not mispronounce anything, would it be dangerous for him to cast spells?

…were their soul stones a finite resource that would eventually run out of power?

 _I cannot keep this from the others._ Zane knew this very well. Cole had made it clear that they should not be keeping secrets like this from each other. Even if they did not have a shard to use it with, keeping this from the others until they did would be just as bad. _We can decide what to do about this as a team._

With that thought the master of ice tucks the paper into his pocket and sets out to locate his brethren.

* * *

Jay was beyond angry. He'd been yelling at Hykos for about an hour straight, saying whatever random or weird insults he could think of. He'd begged the other not to appear in front of Kai and Garmadon. He hadn't wanted them to see him like this. Hykos had ignored his pleas, obviously, because he was walking alongside the master of fire and Sensei Garmadon as if he were supposed to be there.

 _ **You're terrible.**_ Jay finished with a huff. Hykos hadn't answered him, probably so that he wouldn't have to explain to the other two who he was talking to. He already had Cryptor following them where he couldn't be seen, keeping the Ultra weapon out of sight. The blue ninja had wondered if the nindroid had been lying about salvaging it, though, because in all their time traveling on this island he hadn't seen the other with it.

 _There's no way a staff like that can be carried without being seen._ Jay thought. _So either he doubled back every night to retrieve it and bring it back to where we'd made camp, or he never had it in the first place._

Due to the pain and exhaustion that had gotten worse and worse as the days had passed, they hadn't made much progress forward, even if Jay refused to outright stop until they made camp. It would have been easy enough for a nindroid who didn't need to rest to keep doubling back every day to retrieve it. And now that the nindroid just had to follow them without being seen, he could probably keep the Ultra weapon with him.

That did make Jay wonder, though, why Hykos hadn't used it yet. Sure, if it were like the Mega weapon, it could only create, but there were plenty of ways that could be applied.

 _Like creating his own body, for one._ Jay wasn't sure why he would need to keep using his. Unless, of course, he liked the protection it offered against the other ninja. They would be afraid of mortally wounding the master of lightning, so they'd hold back, making it easier to fight them.

Was it irrational to feel guilty that your friends weren't willing to kill you? Probably. And now he was going to end up like Hykos… would he be just as bad? His lightning powers didn't seem to mix well with the dark fluid. The two seemed in direct competition, which was probably why this whole process was hurting so much. Or at least that was all Jay could figure. He remembered the pain he'd felt inside Hykos' memory, and it paled in comparison to this. When he was in control it felt like something crawling under his skin, leaving little fiery trails in its wake, all while everything ached, and his bones felt like they were going to fracture under the slightest pressure. It was enough to drive him up a wall.

Hykos had called him crazy every time he called his powers over lightning forth, because that hurt, too, and made him tired. But the thing was it hurt like stretching a sore muscle in comparison to the darkness trying to dig itself a home in his skin. The other had finally stepped in when Jay had been ready to claw his own skin open, partially convinced he could remove the darkness flowing through his veins that way.

It still hurt, even now, like a pressure on his chest. It was better than before, at least… he could think clearly, for the most part. And he was going to use that to annoy Hykos as much as possible for not listening to him.

* * *

Garmadon watched Viperae warily as they walked along. He didn't trust what the other had told them. The bruises didn't have any sharp edges that he'd expect of someone who'd been tossed around during a ship wreck. No, these patterns were more in line with internal bleeding. Which, frankly, was more worrisome than if what he'd said had been true. Between that and his hands shaking (from blood loss?) he was worried that Viperae had put the blue ninja's body into a perilous situation and he was now dying.

As an ex-Lord himself, he knew that unwillingness to show any form of weakness to your enemy, and so the fact that the other practically flaunted it in their faces spoke more to manipulation than genuine. If one of the plants here could cause mild internal bleeding and shaking hands, or a combination of plants to achieve the effect, he could be playing them to some end.

These two chains of thought weighed heavily on his mind, and he found himself studying the other, looking for any cracks in his armor, something that would give the lie away. Unfortunately, he found nothing, and so he found his mind circling back to the start. That he really was injured, but much worse than he'd let on.

 _His goals, whatever they are, are suspiciously close to ours._ He hadn't tried to change their course, not even to suggest a 'short cut' that would ultimately take them through whatever it was he was after. _So we're already going the way he wants us to._

Garmadon couldn't help but think back to his brother's words. Misako was in danger… and now he couldn't help but worry that he was leading the danger right to her. If she was Viperae's target… well, Garmadon felt bad for Jay, he was the youngest of the team (alongside Lloyd, and now Nya as well), and obviously the least mature… He felt bad for him, but if he had to choose between the life of the blue ninja and his wife, he would choose Misako.

 _The ninja are just children._ He found himself thinking, and not for the first time. _They shouldn't have to deal with all of this._

It was funny, but before his son had come into this world, he would have said they were all plenty old enough to make their own decisions. Garmadon himself had trained for this sort of life since he could hold a training sword. Still. He had distantly hoped for a better life for his own son, even as he had prepared himself to face him in battle.

Guilt tinged these thoughts.

"Would you stop humming?!" Kai finally snapped at the villain. Garmadon was impressed it had taken him this long.

"…You know, you were the worst choice to bring here." Viperae sighs over dramatically in reply.

"Just what does that mean?" The master of fire growls.

"Fire has always been a volatile element, but when dark energy is fanning the flame, you can expect a forest fire." He says it so simply, but he's caught Garmadon's attention.

"The dark matter on this island has always had a negative influence." He says, meeting Viperae's eyes as the other turns to look at him. "But you usually have to come into contact with a concentrated form of it."

The villain raises an eyebrow at him, looking unimpressed.

"You must be aware of it; the very air is _teeming_ with darkness."

"I… something's different." He admits.

" _Different._ " Viperae laughs, and it almost sounds genuine. "Yes, I suppose you could say that. I don't know what's caused it, but something has caused the darkness here to be more… active. Just being here is going to affect your mind. Although, those who have a history with dark matter would, in theory, be better able to deal with its effects."

He gives Garmadon a knowing smirk before turning and continuing to walk. He knows what the other is implying, and he isn't sure why he feels the need to correct him.

"It was the great devourer's venom, not dark matter."

"Oh~?" His response sounds almost teasing. "You mean the beast that had a shard of my soul? I suppose you could argue that its venom may not have any dark fluid in it, but how about when the Overlord tried to take control of you, Jun~?"

He fights off the offense of the other using his first name and instead focus on the other's words.

"You speak as if you aren't the Overlord." Although the Overlord being made of dark matter made far too much sense, given that he'd used the dark matter from that one river to try and infect all of Ninjago.

"The Overlord barely had enough of my soul to function as a being on its own." He shrugs, letting out a little sigh. "It was easily influenced by the dark fluid to act on my more destructive urges."

"And now you've got all the pieces?"

"I have enough to be myself again…"

"But there are still pieces missing?" Garmadon couldn't believe how nonchalant the other was being about missing pieces of his own soul. Unless that was why he was here? To get a piece that had remained on the Dark Island.

"I don't need them." Those four words blew his half formed musings out of the water.

"What?"

"I don't need them." Viperae repeats as if it were simple. "I don't know if you realize, but when dark matter bonds with something, it tends to keep it alive. Take this island, for example. Thousands of years underwater, yet it has a thriving ecosystem that _isn't_ aquatic the moment it's brought back up! Now just how else would that have been possible~?"

"That's why they call him the immortal." Kai grits out. "His soul stone shards are the only ones that never grew dim and crumbled into dust."

"I haven't heard that particular name in some time~!" Viperae chuckles.

"You can't die?" Garmadon questions, feeling dread creeping up his spine. "So it wouldn't matter to you whether or not Jay dies."

He isn't expecting the villain to stop dead in his tracks and spin around to face him, anger clear in his eyes.

"Of course I care!" He puts a trembling hand to his chest. "I wouldn't still be here if I didn't."

He doesn't elaborate, just turns back on heel and continues on. Garmadon doesn't push the other for more answers, still puzzling over what he'd already been told.

 _Why would he care what happened to Jay?_ And for that matter, just what was here on the island that would help with the blue ninja?

"Wait, you have a way to detangle your soul from Jay's?" Kai asks suddenly, surging forward, grabbing his shoulder and forcing the villain to stop. "Why haven't you used it and left him alone yet?!"

"…You truly don't care for his well-being at all, do you?" Viperae sighs, almost as if he's disappointed in the other. He brushes Kai's hand off and before the red ninja can growl out his next words, says. "If you know so much already, I would think you'd be aware that to do so would be to sign his death warrant."

Kai is silent at that, just gritting his teeth, and Garmadon himself is left baffled by this turn. In the ensuing silence, Viperae turns to continue on, humming a fractured, broken sounding tune to himself.

* * *

"There was only one pillar of smoke." Nya says as soon as she's back safely on the ground.

"So Kai found Misako?" Skylor says calmly, handing her some food.

"Yeah…" Nya takes a small bite of her food, not feeling overly hungry. "I'm sure they'll start heading towards us tomorrow."

She couldn't help the worry that nagged at her, though. It seemed like the smoke pillars were never getting closer. At this rate they wouldn't catch up with the others.

"We can pick up the pace tomorrow, if you want." Skylor offers, and Nya gives the other woman a thankful smile. "Now eat, or you won't have enough energy for it."

"Alright, you don't have to mother me." Nya laughs before starting to eat an earnest. While Nya was certain she would have been alright if she'd been on her own, she was glad she'd run into Skylor so soon.

 _Now we just need to find Kai, and it'll be just like we're on another mission._ Because that's what this was supposed to be. Another mission. It hadn't gotten the best start, what with them getting stranded, but once they all regrouped, they could still salvage this thing. _Besides, Misako is probably fine. It's not like there's anyone else on this island besides our two groups._

End chapter thirty nine


	41. Chapter 40

"Take the food." Kai growls out.

 _ **You should listen to him.**_ Jay says.

"I told you I'm fine." Hykos insists.

"I don't care what you want." Kai holds out the skewer, glare clear on his face. "Either you eat the food, or I _make_ you eat it."

"Oh?" Hykos laughs, dry and mocking. "You really think you can make me do anything?"

 _ **Why don't you want to eat it?**_ Jay questions with a sigh. _**I mean, Kai isn't the best cook, but he's far from the worst. Especially when it comes to grilling.**_

He was the master of fire, after all. Although he did tend to overcook food a bit, nothing he made was ever inedible.

"It's not poisoned." Sensei Garmadon speaks up, voice even. "We have nothing to gain from poisoning you… unless you recognize something poisonous in the food we've prepared, in which case, I'd appreciate it if you'd inform us before anyone gets sick."

"Nothing you picked up is poisonous." Hykos admits slowly, before haughtily adding. " _Amazingly."_

"You…" Kai growls, because he'd been the one to gather the food. Jay had wondered why, but he figured it had a lot to do with Sensei Garmadon not wanting to leave the red ninja alone with Hykos while he stood around bugging him about whatever.

 _ **Be nice, Hykos.**_ The blue ninja admonishes the other.

"Then why not eat?" Sensei Garmadon's curiosity was clear.

 _ **Yeah, why?**_ Jay parrots, curious himself.

"Because I don't need it."

"Don't be stupid." Kai huffs. "When was the last time you even ate?"

 _ **Hm, that's a good question.**_ The master of lightning says thoughtfully. He remembers eating when he was in control. Not much, because his stomach apparently felt the need to purge itself of the black sludge pretty regularly, but he still ate. Hykos, on the other hand, hadn't eaten a thing since taking back control… and he also hadn't been sick. _**Are you worried we'll get sick again?**_

He can feel the other tense minutely, a shiver of pain flaring up at the action, and that is enough of a confirmation that Jay needs to know he's right.

"That isn't important." He shrugs instead of answering Kai.

The master of fire is starting to grit his teeth, and Jay notices the fire flaring up out of the corner of his eye. He expects Kai to push the issue, so he's surprised when the red ninja looks to their sensei instead, his expression of frustration clear.

"Viperae…" Sensei Garmadon pauses, studying Hykos' face (and what does he see, Jay wonders, since aside from a memory or two involving mirrors he never got much of a look at the other's face). "Part of our agreement was to keep each other safe."

" _Aw~_ , are you worried about me, Jun?" Hykos says in a teasing voice, putting a hand to his chest to add to the effect.

"Yes." Sensei Garmadon answer bluntly, and Jay can feel the jolt of shock that knocks Hykos off kilter.

"Ah… funny." He smiles, trying to recover. "I'm sure the blue jay appreciates your concern for him."

There's a beat of silence, Sensei Garmadon studying his face once more before he replies.

"You said you cared about Jay's well-being."

"I do." Hykos responds easily, and Jay thinks he isn't supposed to feel the other's relief at the sudden shift in topic.

"Then you can't skip meals like this." The tone he uses is surprisingly close to his 'dad voice' that he'd (very rarely) used when admonishing Lloyd.

 _ **Dude.**_ Jay snickers. _**He's totally babying you now!**_

"You have no idea what you're talking about." Hykos mutters to Jay for the first time since he'd shown his face to the others. Apparently this was where the other drew the line of dealing with Jay's attempts at annoyance. Sensei Garmadon's brows furrow, but before he can say anything else Hykos speaks up for them to hear. "Fine."

Kai wastes no time shoving the skewer he was holding into Hykos' hand, which gets him an annoyed look from the man, which the master of fire meets with a triumphant grin.

"You know…" Hykos starts airily after taking a bite. "there was a reason your sensei recruited you last."

 _Oh no._ the blue ninja thinks, stomach sinking. _This isn't going to go well._

"How would you know?" Kai challenges. "You weren't there when Sensei Wu recruited us."

"It's obvious, from your element… from your _attitude._ " Hykos gives the red ninja a sickly sweet smile. "It's obvious that any of the others would be a better choice than you."

 _ **Hykos… don't-**_ Jay tries to intervene, but Kai unknowingly interrupts him.

"No, it's not obvious!" Kai says defensively. "Just what's so much better about the other elements?"

"Why don't I enlighten you?" Hykos says sickeningly sweet.

"Viperae-" Sensei Garmadon's voice has a warning tone, obviously intending to stop the other man from provoking Kai, but the red ninja interrupts him with a curt.

"I want to hear this."

"I don't believe that's a good idea, Kai." He tries to warn the red ninja, but Kai can be stubborn when he wants to be.

"Why not?" He pushes. "It's not like there's any truth to it."

"You trust him, right?" Hykos says, fake innocence so thick in his voice that it's obvious. "Unless, of course, you think he can't handle the truth?"

"This isn't a matter of trust…" Sensei Garmadon looks troubled, but resigned. "But I can see that neither of you intend to listen to me."

Jay feels a little bad for Sensei Garmadon. It was like being stuck between a rock and a hard place, if they had personalities and were able to annoy each other, that is.

"How about we start with the master of earth?" Hykos wastes no time, almost eagerly turning to the red ninja. "A level element. Strong, hardworking, and apparently very dedicated to his friends. A mediary, just like autumn mediates between two opposing seasons. He would have been the smartest element to begin with, as he would not only be the easiest to train at first, but would also help to bring the more unruly elements into line."

"If the other elements are so much better then why would you need Cole to keep the others in line?" Kai demands, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, most elements have their weak points, I'll admit." Hykos shrugs easily. "But most are easily mitigated… unlike fire."

 _ **Maybe your argument would be stronger if you didn't just focus on the good?**_ Jay tried to suggest, hoping that would somehow make what the man had to say any less insulting.

"How about the element of lightning next?" Jay feels his stomach twist at Hykos' suggestion. What was he going to say about him? He'd chosen his element because he wanted to take a few snipes at him after having to silently put up with him almost all day, right? "…an element of light and energy. Of brevity, like the storms in spring. Speed can sometimes be the deciding factor between who wins, regardless of strength. Properly managed, the lightning element can be a fearsome warrior."

"You've obviously never met Jay." Kai snorts, and Jay can't help but feel insulted.

 _ **Just what is that supposed to mean?**_ Did Kai think Jay would never be a 'fearsome warrior?' Sure he wasn't the strongest on the team… or the most dedicated to training… or all that good at being stealthy (since he couldn't help but say _something_ when things got tense)…

 _Why am I a ninja again?_

"We might not have met face to face." Hykos' voice is surprisingly firm. "But I've known him long enough to know that he is better suited to reaching that potential than the last master of lightning I knew." There was a lingering silence after that statement, the other two appearing to be processing what Hykos had said, but before they had time to articulate those thoughts into words, he continued to speak. "As for the next element, well, they probably went with ice, if he stuck to the first Dragon Lord's set up. So, the element of ice. Tempered in every interaction, yet sharp like the bite of a winter chill. A good element, quick on the uptake, but typically distant."

"So far all you've done is ramble about poetic bullshit." Kai huffs, crossing his arms. "Get to the point."

"Fire," Hykos very nearly sneers. "an unrelenting element, like the overbearing heat of summer. Just as likely to burn themselves out as it is to burn their enemies… and even bearing the potential to burn their allies. Frankly, I can think of plenty of elements I'd sooner choose over fire."

"I'd never hurt someone I care about!" The red ninja insists through gritted teeth. "And I bet any other elements you could think of would be just as bad off on this damn island."

"That's where you're wrong, actually~." Hykos chuckles. "My first choice over _your_ disastrous element would actually be the best suited to deal with the darkness on this island trying to influence the people who come here. The element of water, a balance between stubborn fury and calm serenity, just like the ocean. This balance gives them the unique advantage of being the best able to fight off the effects of the dark energy here and maintain that balance. Of course, that is assuming they have some experience with either their element or the darkness… but even without that they'd be a _far_ better choice than you."

There's a moment of silence, Kai just blinking, before he breaks into soft chuckles that leaves Hykos feeling confused and aggravated.

"You know, it's funny you should mention that." The master of fire's smirk is not only triumphant, but relieved. "But we _did_ bring her with us. And thanks to you, I now know my little sister is going to be just fine in that regard."

 _So Nya's here, too._ Jay could feel his stomach sinking. _That means, so long as we stay with Kai and Sensei Garmadon, we're bound to run into her sooner or later._

He didn't want her to see him like this, either. For so many reasons, with so many emotions he didn't have time to categorize, so he just let it sit like a knot of dread in his chest while he focused on the phantom shivers of pain that reached him instead. It was amazing that the other could still act like a functioning person with this much pain…

"…Your sister?" Hykos asks after a time, eyeing Kai critically. "I see, so your parents, or someone in your lineage, married the master of water. What a pity…"

Kai puffs up like an angry cat at the sound of Hykos' overblown sigh.

"Just what is that supposed to mean?!"

"I'm sure you've heard the phrase 'like fire and water?' the two elements clash." He let out a little _tsk_ that seemed to lead to the red ninja clenching his fist very noticeably. "If the elements had been complementary, or even neutral to each other, there was a chance of you two being able to use your secondary elements. As it is, neither will be able to make any progress on that without compromising your control over your primary elements."

"…what?" Now the master of fire just looks genuinely confused (although still cautiously annoyed as well).

"And water is a very useful element, as well." Hykos shrugs, ignoring the others' questioning gazes. "Not just for survival, either."

"But for fighting ghosts, too." Sensei Garmadon speaks up carefully. Perhaps wanting to mitigate any further fighting between the other two now that they'd gotten through the taunting with minimal aggravation. And considering Kai's temper, as well as Hykos' general personality, Jay was kind of surprised about that… how long it'd last, with Sensei Garmadon acting as the mediary between the two, would remain to be seen. "Since it's the only element that they're weak to, due to the nature of ghosts."

"Yes~!" The sensei immediately has Hykos' interest and attention with just that one sentence. "I'm surprised you know about that, though. It's rather complex for the first Dragon Lord to have passed on…"

"Uh, what's so complicated about ghosts being able to go through things, just like water, which causes them to clash?" Kai scoffs.

"…Is that what you think?" Good mood dropping, Hykos frowns as he turns to look at the red ninja.

"Yes. Well, something like that anyway, I don't _exactly_ remember what Sensei Wu said-"

"And you, too?" Hykos interrupts Kai, who lets out an aggravated sound.

"…I do." Sensei Garmadon says softly, brows furrowing. "It's common knowledge among those who fight ghosts."

"Of course. I shouldn't have bothered to get my hopes up." He sighs again, this one actually sounding genuine instead of overacted, and he rubs a shaking hand over his eyes. "Forgive me for saying this, Jun, but saying something is correct because it's common knowledge is the same as saying every rumor you hear is factually true just because everyone is saying it." Jay notes the shift in behavior, in _tone_ that makes Jay think back to the memories he had to live through.

"Well, if you're so smart, then why don't you tell us how you think it works?" Kai snaps out, obviously not happy with how the other man had talked to his sensei.

"Fine." Hykos says simply, voice devoid of any amusement or aggravation. "If you were right about water, as a fluid, being the reason that it hurts ghosts, then _air_ would hurt ghosts. It has all the same properties that water has that people mistakenly cite as being the cause for their weakness to it. Not to mention that any other liquid should be harmful as well, but it's only _water_ and not juice or whatever else that harms them."

"…Cole has been able to drink most beverages without issue." Sensei Garmadon says thoughtfully.

"That's due to the saturation of various elements inside the beverage." Meeting the others' eyes, which both appear lost (and annoyed in Kai's case), Hykos backtracks. "Ghosts, as we know them, are not without matter. It is usually not held together very stably, which allows them to pass through other objects by slipping their molecules between a solid object's. On the other hand, they can learn to strengthen their molecules cohesion, allowing them to be solid for a time. This is where water first works on further destabilizing the ghost. A water molecule has polarity to it, which is what allows water to create surface tension. The polarity effects the molecules' cohesion, weakening it. You could, in theory, get this same effect via other means, but that isn't the part that hurts the ghost. What hurts the ghost is that, as a universal solvent, water washes away the now unstable molecules. Water, however, has a saturation point. The more you dissolve in it, the less it can take on until nothing else can be dissolved. The higher amount of other elements rising the drink's saturation, the less it'll be able to wash away, and thus be unable to hurt the ghost. It's simple science, not anything mystical."

 _ **Science sensei…**_ Jay can't help but gasp out in surprise. Jay had gotten far too used to blank looks from his sensei when he explain a simple invention, and hand waving strange things off as 'magic' that someone _actually_ explaining things scientifically was shocking. He'd forgotten that Hykos was a scientist, a really smart one at that. Of course he'd try to understand the science behind all of this crazy magic.

"What?" Hykos blurts out almost immediately in response to Jay's words, the blue ninja having for once been able to catch him off guard.

"Sorry." Sensei Garmadon responds almost immediately, actually looking a little _embarrassed_ (had he thought Hykos' exclamation meant for them? Wait, yeah, of _course_ they did, because Jay's not here as far as they know). "I just… never thought much on _why_ water works. I can't say I followed all of what you said, but I think I understand."

"Total gibberish." Kai mutters, shaking his head.

 _ **Don't mind him, Science Sensei.**_ Jay gives a mental shrug. _**You'd think he'd be used to technical stuff after living with Nya practically his whole life, but he never seems to understand whenever I try and explain my inventions beyond what they do.**_

 **Don't… that…** Hykos' voice echos back inside their shared head space. Jay was a little surprised, because Hykos hadn't seemed all that interested in trying to communicate non-verbally. Of course, if this garbled, barely understandable sentence was the result, he could understand why that was.

 _ **I didn't catch that.**_ The blue ninja gives a mental shrug, feeling the Science Sensei grit his teeth in response.

"I believe we should turn in for the night." Sensei Garmadon says finally, looking up at what little of the sky could be seen through the treetops.

Although Kai hadn't liked the idea of being so vulnerable with an enemy so close by, and with Hykos saying it would be better if someone stayed up to make sure nothing snuck up on them anyway, they eventually agreed to sleep in shifts.

* * *

Wu meditated, thinking on his students, on their various personalities and relationships. He hoped that keeping them in mind would help him to keep a level head. Although he did avoid thinking about… a certain someone, because he knew that he would only focus more on his brother's short comings than anything.

 _I need to keep a clear head in order to help Misako._ Because Wu knew the others would not be there in time to help her. They were likely miles behind him now, traversing through the forest. _This time I'll be the hero._

"Pixal," He called out, feeling a nervous energy that he hadn't felt in over a decade. "how long until we reach the temple of light?"

Pixal is quiet at first, and Wu has to remind himself not to lose his patience.

"Without a GPS signal to give me our location, I can only give you an estimate."

"Fine." Wu's tone is a tad aggravated, and he takes a deep breath to try and calm himself. "Just give me the estimate."

"…if we continue at this pace, and assuming the river does not make any large turns-"

"It doesn't."

"-than we are a little over a day away."

That wasn't soon enough. The old sensei grits his teeth as aggravation tries to rear its ugly head. He'd already asked if there was any way for them to go faster, and Pixal had assured him there was not. Snapping at the AI would do him no good.

 _Maybe,_ he thinks suddenly. _If I lighten the load, the ship will go faster?_

He doesn't bother consulting with Pixal before he goes into action. He starts with what he believes will be the heaviest items, which are most of Jay's inventions. There's a small amount of guilt as he throws them overboard, but he tells himself that they were broken during the storm anyway.

"Sensei Wu, what are you doing?" Pixal asks as soon as the first invention hits the water.

"I am trying to increase our speed." He replies as he goes back down to grab some more.

"This will only marginally increase our speed." She sounds concerned.

"But it _will_ increase our speed."

"Yes…" Pixal admits hesitantly. "But do you believe that the others will be okay knowing you have gotten rid of their belongings?"

"Once they hear that it allowed me to arrive in time to save Misako, they will understand." And that is the end of it. He ignores Pixal's further prodding as he moves on to other items. He throws a lot of the scrap metal that the master of lightning had collected overboard as well. He leaves all the blue prints untouched, though, because the paper would barely make a dent in how much the ship weighed. Next went a lot of the training weapons and supplies. Dummies and bamboo swords were left bobbing in the water, soon followed by the extra weapons they had, which sank to the bottom. Furniture went next, chairs, the table, the couch, and even the TV went. He left the beds, but only because they would be needed on the return trip. The same went for the extra food they had stored, so he couldn't toss that, but some CDs that Cole had collected, the vast array of hair products Kai owned, and the various books on things that had caught Zane's interest were tossed. Extra clothing that the ninja barely wore was the last thing Wu threw overboard.

"How long until we reach the temple of light now, Pixal?" Wu asks, panting from all the work.

"…a little under a day."

"Good."

The ninja would understand. Besides, he'd tried to teach them not to be so attached to their possessions, especially after their temple had burned down so long ago. What was important now was Misako; everything else was secondary.

* * *

Lloyd tries to smile as he saw his other friends off in the early morning. They'd debated what to do about the information that Alphonse had given Zane into the late hours of the night, eventually coming to a decision. All of the remaining ninja, except for Lloyd, would head out and track down the remaining soul shards as fast as possible. Zane wouldn't be allowed to use the spell due to the risks, and they'd barely convinced the master of ice that it would be alright for his brother to use the spell, with some more input from Alphonse.

" _I guess I wasn't as clear as I could have been on that."_ Alphonse had said apologetically. _"Your life force will typically regenerate over time, but that's assuming that the output isn't greater than the regeneration rate. So long as you all stay aware of your limits and stop casting the spell as soon as you begin to feel tired, you should be alright to use the spell."_

So the white ninja was the only one going who wouldn't be allowed to use the spell, but his presence would mean they could replace the shards as soon as they found them, saving time and energy. Ronin had sounded against casting the spell himself, but Lloyd wasn't sure how long that attitude would hold up, especially given that they were going to be able to grab whatever parts of REX was nearby, as well.

Lloyd, on the other hand, had been told in the kindest way possible, to stay here because he'd be useless on the mission and likely to accidentally kill himself. Okay, well, Cole hadn't exactly said that, but his meaning had been clear.

" _I think you should stay here, Lloyd."_ He'd said carefully. _"The people here might need something that Hiroshi can't provide, and the only one who can safely leave the forest are us and Ronin. Right now you're the best candidate to stick around and help them if need be."_

So, once again, he had to sit back and watch his friends go and try to help someone he cared about while he was forced to sit back and do nothing.

Sparring a brief glare at the mark on his hand, the green ninja heads off to see if he can find Alphonse. He had a few questions to ask the man himself. He knew about magic, although his specialty was soul stones, there was a chance he knew about something that could help him.

"Hey, Hiroshi." He calls out, seeing the forest spirit milling around. "Have you seen Alphonse anywhere?"

"He's with Dan." Hiroshi seems dejected. "…They asked to be alone for a bit."

"Oh." Well, that kind of put a crimp in Lloyd's plan. He didn't want to interrupt the couple… or walk in on something he'd rather not see. So what to do, then? He was sick of standing around doing nothing. Of being _useless_ to his team. Being the green ninja meant nothing if he was constantly being captured, or possessed, or branded with a contract that would kill him if he tried to do anything to help… "Could you, uh, tell me when… they stop wanting to be alone?"

"I'm not sure that'll ever happen." Hiroshi gives him a conflicted look. "Did you need something? If it's important, I can go and get him for you."

Lloyd hesitates. Because _yes_ this was important, but _no_ it wasn't so immediately important that he has to interrupt the couple. Especially since the others had left already, and he had no idea if Alphonse even had a way to help him.

"No…" He sighs. "It's fine."

The words are bitter on his tongue, and he examines the mark on his hand once more. The rune, lookin familiar yet foreign all at once. He'd burned the mark into his mind, spending sleepless hours starring at it, running his fingers over the rough, scarred skin, and scratching at the unexplainable itch it sometimes caused him.

 _It's just in my head._ Lloyd thinks as the itching starts up again. _But I_ _ **swear**_ _I can feel this stupid mark._

"What happened?" Hiroshi asks curiously.

"Huh?" The master of energy jolts out of his musings; he hadn't expected the question.

"Your hand gives off its own magic signature." Hiroshi tilts his head, peering at his hand curiously. "I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't met you before it appeared, though, since it's so small."

"You can sense magic?" Lloyd asks, surprised.

"Of course." Hiroshi looks confused. "It's the only way I can tell most humans apart, after all. I mean, you all look so similar, unlike trees."

Lloyd couldn't help but laugh a bit at the other's statement, which was the opposite to what any human's would have been. Hiroshi doesn't seem to understand just what it was that was so funny about what he'd just said, though, and Lloyd quickly gets his laughter under control as a thought hits him.

"Hey, Hiroshi, could you help me with something?"

"Did you want me to go get Alphonse after all?"

"No… nothing like that." Lloyd takes a deep breath, and prepares himself for what he's about to ask. "Is there anything here that can cause localized numbness?"

End chapter forty


	42. Chapter 41

"Come on, Skylor, you said we could pick up the pace!" Nya called back to the other woman.

"I know what I said," Skylor paused to take a deep breath. "but all that time behind the counter has taken more of a toll than I anticipated."

It wasn't like she was slacking, though, she had kept up a decent training regimen. That, however, wasn't likely to give her the endurance to keep up with people whose days were dedicated solely to training.

 _Maybe I should consider upping my routine?_ She thinks as she pulls up next to Nya. _Or taking a day off so I can spend the time training._

Now that things had stabilized with the restaurants, she didn't have to work herself sick to make sure the business won't go under. Not to mention some of her employees who she worked with directly had been encouraging her to take some time for herself.

"Got your breath back?" The master of water breaks her from her musings.

"Yeah, thanks." She offers the other woman a thankful smile. "Let's go."

It isn't too long before she's out of breath once again, although she tries to power through it, they end up taking yet another break when she finds she can't keep up any longer. She apologizes to the master of water for slowing them down, but Nya brushes it off and apologizes for rushing so much.

"Should we slow down a bit?" The master of water offers, obviously not happy with the thought.

Skylor thinks it over for a moment before nodding. She'd be useless if she wasted all her energy here.

"Sorry…"

"Would you stop apologizing?" Nya gives a mock huff, smiling good naturedly despite her disappointment. "I already told you it's fine."

They continue at a more subdued pace. At one point they pass something that looks similar to a sunflower, but all of the flowers follow them as they pass, which is kind of creepy. At one point there's the sound of something scuttling off into the underbrush in the distance, and Skylor isn't sure if she should be worried about it or not.

"Kai!" Nya yells out, drawing Skylor's attention away from their surroundings and to the figure ahead of them. Skylor watches the figure stop and turn towards them as Nya rushes forward, the restaurant owner's eyes drawn to the staff that's strapped to the figure's back.

"That's not Kai." Skylor realizes. It could be one of the people they were here to rescue… "Nya, wait-!"

But the other woman was faster than her, and had already reached the other person. Skylor could hear her gasp as the stranger fully turned to face her.

"You're-!" She's cut off as the person swings at her. She dodges back, moving into a fighting stance easily. "What are you doing here, Cryptor?"

The stranger, Cryptor, is finally in full view, and Skylor is surprised to see a nindroid facing them. It looked ready to fight, although it didn't reach for the golden, elaborate staff on its back.

The nindroid doesn't answer Nya's question, it just moves forward and takes another swing at the master of water, who blocks it and throws a punch of her own. The nindroid blocks it, only to be blasted back by a jet of water. It tumbles, before catching itself in a crouch. Its gaze moves from Nya, who's drawing the bo staff she'd chosen as her weapon, to Skylor drawing her own short sword.

Clearly seeing that it's outnumbered, the nindroid chooses to disengage and turns to run.

"Wait!" Nya calls out and begins to give chase.

"Nya!" Skylor calls out, slashing a nearby tree before following after the other woman. "What about finding Kai?!"

"Kai can wait!" Nya calls back over her shoulder, trying to keep the nindroid in her sight. "For all we know he could be a danger to Misako and her group!"

"Right!" The restaurant owner agrees. Because that was why they'd come here in the first place, so they couldn't just ignore a potential threat just because they'd wanted to regroup.

The nindroid glances back, and despite his face being mostly hidden (assuming he even had a face behind that mask), Skylor is certain she can see it scowl. It takes a sharp turn and as the two women skid around the turn the nindroid has vanished. On instinct Skylor turns around and manages to catch sight of the nindroid running back the other way.

"This way!" She calls back as she gives chase. The adrenaline keeps her tired legs moving, and she manages to gain on the nindroid when a fallen log appears in their path. The nindroid uses it as a stepping stone and springs forward, Skylor volts over it, and when they land the chase is over.

"No!" The nindroid yells out in aggravation, struggling against the quicksand they'd both landed in.

"Stop struggling." Skylor reprimands the nindroid as he sinks deeper. "You'll only make it worse."

"Skylor?!" Nya calls out.

"Over here!" The master of water breaths a momentary sigh of relief when she sees them. Between the log obscuring her vision and the fact that Skylor hadn't gotten as much air and hadn't sunk as deep into the quicksand, meant that the other woman didn't know her predicament. "Careful, there's quicksand."

Nya stops mid-step, relief turning to worry. She carefully makes her way forward, testing the ground before putting her full weight down, until she's right at the edge of the log. Apparently it marked the edge of the quicksand.

"Here, take my hand." Skylor didn't have to reach far to grab the other woman's hand, and with a little effort and the leverage the log offered them, they managed to get the restaurant owner out of the quicksand. "Phew… I was worried that was going to be a lot harder."

"We're not done yet." Skylor informs the other, turning back to look at the steaming nindroid. It was glaring at them as if this was all their fault. "We still need to deal with that one."

Straightening up, the master of water levels a hard stare on the nindroid.

"Alright, why don't we try this again?" She puts a hand on her hip. "What are you doing here, Cryptor?" The nindroid is silent. "I assume that that's the mega weapon you've got on your back."

"It is not the Mega weapon."

"Sure." Nya replies unconvinced. "I take it Viperae is here, then? He was the one who stole the golden armor, after all." The nindroid is silent. "So why is he here? If you tell us, then maybe we'll help you out of there."

"I would sooner die than betray my Lord." The nindroid responds stubbornly.

"Cryptor, was it?" Skylor steps forward, feels some of the quicksand that still clung to her legs shift, and silently tells herself to ask Nya to help her rinse it off later. "Do you really think your Lord would want you to die here?"

More silence.

"Forget it." Nya sighs. "He's not going to talk. At this rate it'd be easier, and probably safer, to destroy it and figure out a way to take the Mega Weapon back."

"If you're sure." Skylor shrugs.

Nya prepares to fire a concentrated blast of water, little droplets appearing to hang in the air as she draws her hand back.

"Wait." The nindroid says stiffly, shoulders drawing up defensively. "I… may be able to tell you some things, if you'll spare me."

The droplets hanging in the air fall as Nya relaxes, giving the nindroid a triumphant grin.

"Let's hear what you have to say first, then we'll see if it's worth your life."

Skylor got the impression that the nindroid didn't actually care about its life, but was using that as a cover for some other goal it wanted to achieve. Likely protecting the golden staff strapped to its back. The restaurant owner wasn't sure if Nya was aware of that or not, though, because she _had_ threatened to take it.

 _It's not like there's any harm in letting things continue as they are right now._ Skylor assures herself. _Cryptor can't act, and Nya isn't going to just let him get away._

"…I don't know why we're here." Seeing the master of water frown, the nindroid quickly goes on. "Not exactly, I mean. I know we're here to retrieve something, but that's it."

"Do you have any idea why he would want whatever this thing is?" Nya raises an eyebrow at the nindroid. It appears to consider her for a moment before answering.

"He believed it would help someone to see that joining him is the best option."

Skylor and Nya share a look at that, no words needing to be exchanged. That some _thing_ was actually a some _one_ ; Misako. Of course, Viperae's goal in coming here was to try to get at Sensei Garmadon using someone close to him.

"Is there anything else?" Nya prompts the nindroid, and when it shakes its head she sighs. "Unfortunately that's not enough."

Skylor is surprised as Nya begins readying her attack once more, the humidity in the air rising, and she's starting to wonder if the island had begun to affect her mind after all.

"You won't be able to wield it!" Cryptor shouts, arm raised as if to brace for the incoming attack.

"Hm? Why not?"

"…the Ultra Weapon is much more powerful than the Mega Weapon." Cryptor explains begrudgingly. "No normal person can safely wield it."

"You look fine." Nya shrugs.

"That's because I am not actually touching it." He glances over his shoulder at the staff. "If you destroy me, you will not be able to retrieve the Ultra Weapon."

"So it's lost to the quicksand?" the master of water sounds unconcerned. "At least then it's out of Viperae's hands."

"Nya…" Skylor finally speaks up, worry for her friend driving her. Even if it was just a nindroid, was destroying it the best option? No, more importantly, why did she care? It wasn't a person… right?

 _Yet I am certain he's angry._ Skylor thinks. _If he were just a robot, then he wouldn't be able to feel any emotions at all…_

"Let's get him out of there, Nya." She begins to look around for some vines or something they could use to pull him out. There's a loud _skreetch_ sound and when Skylor turns back the red goggle-like eye of the nindroid had been destroyed. Horror fills her for a moment, panic as she watches the nindroid fall back into the quicksand, eyes no longer glowing red. "…What have you done?"

"What?" Nya looks at her in confusion. "It was just a nindroid, Skylor. And besides, if we let it go, it'd just go back and report to Viperae. Not to mention that 'Ultra Weapon' is now far from his hands."

Nya steps closer and lays a hand on Skylor's shoulder and a kind of numb acceptance sweeps over her. The other woman was right. They didn't have any way of securing the nindroid to keep it from running back to its master…

"…Let's go find Kai." Skylor says softly, having nothing else to say at this moment. She felt strangely hollow, even as Nya brightened at the mention of her brother.

"Oh, but we're totally turned around now." Nya sighs. "We're going to have to wait until night before we can figure out which way to go."

"I marked one of the trees when we started this chase." Skylor replies, sparring one last glance at the nindroid. It was still, remaining eye open and unblinkingly looking up at the sky. "If we can find it before night, we can get back on track sooner."

"Great thinking, Skylor!" Nya cheers, turning to look around them. "Uh, which way should we check first?"

"How about the way we came?" Skylor points away from the log. Nya begins quickly, but Skylor pauses to send a silent apology to the fallen nindroid.

 _Now I remember why I turned down Kai's offer to be a ninja…_

* * *

Wu had been restless since the early morning. They were close, he didn't need Pixal to tell him that, the darkness emanating from the very soil of the Dark Island was at its thickest here. It had taken him the remainder of his time to move the crate he'd had his students load onto the ship back up on deck. Perhaps it would have been easier to just use its contents where it lay, cracked in the storage of the Bounty, but that would risk damaging the ship further when he inevitably had to move it out of the ship anyway. The cracked, almost splintered wood had made it much more difficult than it would have otherwise been.

"Sensei Wu." Pixal speaks up, breaking the silence they had held since their last conversation. "What do you intend to do on your own?"

Her words send prickles of insult down his spine, and he stands a little straighter. He was old, yes, but he was not frail.

"I intend to save Misako." He says sternly. "I entrust the Bounty to your care until we return."

"…The anchor is no longer functional." Pixal reminds him. "We will have to find another way to keep the Bounty in place."

"And you did not think to mention this until now?" Wu asks between gritted teeth.

"I apologize." The AI's words are obviously meant to placate the man. "I originally thought that, perhaps, Jay had left an invention behind that could have helped us in this situation."

Wu's anger spikes with the jab at him. A jab at his earlier actions.

"Then we'll just have to run it aground." He snaps out. If she had a physical form to glare at, he would no doubt be glowering at her.

"That could cause damage to the hull-"

"I don't _care._ " He's close to yelling. "We can deal with it later."

Pixal doesn't answer him, and as his anger begins to peak, so does the desire to take it out on _something_. He focuses it on the crate before him, now on the deck, and with a few well-placed hits to previously weakened points, the crate breaks apart. It does little to ebb his anger, and he feels anxious to face whatever it is that's threatening Misako.

"What is that?" Pixal asks, curiosity and surprise clear in her tone. Of course, she'd never seen the Golden Mech. Lloyd had used it when facing his father the last time they'd come to the Dark Island, and Wu had made sure it had been stowed away safely in case they ever needed it again.

"Run us aground." He ignores her, just as she did him. " _Now_."

There's a moment of silence, then the whole ship shakes, a loud rumble as it scrapes along the river's edge, slowing to a stop roughly. Wu wastes no time climbing into the Golden Mech and disembarking. The Mech wasn't going to be the stealthiest thing, but he didn't want to have it be too far away when action had to be taken.

It doesn't take long before he sees signs of a camp up ahead. He back tracks a little, grateful that no one appeared to have noticed the Mech, which he carefully hides before sneaking in to do some recon. There were tents set up, their plain canvas giving nothing away as to what they were for. If this was Misako's camp, they would all be for sleeping in save for one, which would be where they would keep things like equipment and maps of the area showing where they've been digging and whatnot (or that was what Wu had gathered from talking with Misako about her various excavations).

A quick glance into one of the tents caused the old sensei concern. There were people inside, all sleeping, but they didn't look like the type that Misako would hire to help her. No, they mostly looked like pirates…

 _I knew it._ Wu feels self-righteous anger begin to well up. _Misako is in trouble._

Of course, that begged the question of where the archeologist _was_. Had those pirates taken over the camp and run Misako and her group out into the wilderness, or had they captured them and were now holding them captive? Wu needed answers.

Picking one of the tents that was farther away from the rest, Wu carefully snuck inside and considered the two men who were sharing this tent. Which would be best to try and get info out of? The smaller of the two appeared to be serpentine, which meant he would likely have strength greater than that of a human of the same size, which would make subduing him quietly hard. On the other hand, the other person in this tent was quite large, their bed bowing under them (looking ready to break at a moment's notice), which would make them equally hard to subdue quietly.

He was wasting time, he knew, and so he threw caution to the wind and decided to try the serpentine anyway. The other was large enough that Wu wouldn't be able to drag them out of the tent, and he doubted the commotion it'd cause even if he did wouldn't wake the other anyway. The serpentine might be stronger than he looked (going by human standards), but Wu had not slacked on his own training just because he had passed on the mantle of protector of Ninjago onto his students.

He acted quickly, maneuvering the serpentine so that Wu was behind him with his staff in the snake's mouth to both stop him from talking and to prevent him from biting the old sensei. It took a bit of effort to drag the struggling serpentine outside the tent and far enough away that, so long as he kept the other from yelling, no one would be disturbed by them talking.

Releasing the other, Wu pushes the snake forward, causing him to fall onto his hands and knees. The serpentine quickly scrambles so that he's facing his assailant, an anxious look appearing on his face.

"W-w-what-?" The snake tries to stutter out a question, only to be interrupted by Wu.

"I have a few questions." He stands straight, glaring down at the serpentine that appears to be trying to make himself as small as possible. "And you're going to answer them for me…"

"I-I don't-t know an-anything." The snake stutters.

"We'll see about that." Wu's grip on his staff tightens, something the other notices, if his nervous gulp is anything to go by. "Let's start with where the original owners of these tents are."

The snake begins to shake his head, and before the denial can even leave his forked tongue Wu slams his staff into a nearby tree, causing the serpentine to jump and let out a little shriek of fear.

"Do not _lie_ to me." His tone is dark, anger painting both it and his face. "And do not even try to alert anyone else. Neither would end well for you."

The snake nods, tears welling up in his eyes, and Wu thinks that this might just be easier than he first thought.

* * *

Garmadon tried not to let his own agitation show on his face. He'd been dealing with Kai and Viperae bickering almost all day. The villain seemed to find no end to the entertainment that agitating the master of fire brought. And as they had yet to encounter any creatures or even poisonous plants, he found himself doubting the other's motive for joining them more and more. There was also the information he'd given them yesterday about the elements. It was a relief to hear that Nya would be alright, or at least better off than they were, but that was assuming that the man was telling the truth.

Watching the other now, his posture and facial expressions, didn't give him the answers he wanted. The other man was an enigma, one that couldn't be trusted to give them a truthful answer.

 _Just what is he after?_ The thought had kept Garmadon from getting a decent sleep the night before. _What does all of his actions add up to?_

Garmadon had known himself well, had known his own goals, and every action he'd taken had been to further those goals. So what was it that this man was after? He had stolen the golden armor, released a bunch of criminal's from prison, had basically crippled his son with the threat of death, and had tried to recruit various others. Those actions spoke to him trying to build up an army, and if the actions of the Overlord were considered as well, it lead him to believe the other was after one thing.

Domination.

Viperae, for whatever reason, wanted to gain control of Ninjago. He was smart enough to know that that was impossible without an army, smarter still to know that he couldn't choose just anyone to be a part of that army and succeed. He wanted talented and loyal soldiers. He'd wanted Cole for that perceived loyalty, although it wasn't loyalty for _him_ but the one who he was possessing. He'd gone after Ronin for his skill. He'd approached Garmadon for his own skills. While, as the green ninja, Lloyd was considered someone who would not be swayed to his side no matter what, and so he had to be taken out of the fight before it'd even truly begun.

The villain had already shown his willingness to kill, as he'd brutally murdered the guards at the prison, but Garmadon knew the other's body count was much smaller than it should have been had he been acting on pure ruthlessness. He could have killed Cyrus once he'd gotten what he'd wanted from the man. He could have… could have _attempted_ to kill Lloyd. He'd had drawn the ninja out into an ambush that could have easily given him the advantage to kill them, but instead he'd merely tested their strength.

 _They had managed to catch him off guard, though._ Cole's possession hadn't been a part of his plan. And he hadn't even brought any back up with him to fight them. Having gone toe to toe with the ninja himself, he knew that those were not odds any ordinary man could expect to be in his favor. _Yet, if what they said was true, he managed to expertly handle them up until that point._

The way he'd spoken last night had given clues as to why he hadn't killed the ninja. He saw potential in most of them, and so he didn't _intend_ to kill them. Of course, that could change at any time… and, although it pained him to even think it, his son had only escaped their 'deal' with his life because Viperae had wanted _him_ to join, and he knew enough to know that anything more than what he'd done would have driven Garmadon to actively hunt him down until there was nothing left for him to destroy.

He had no idea how he would manage to kill someone who was immortal, but he was the son of the first spinjiztu master, and if it meant getting revenge against the person who had harmed his son, he would find a way.

"That's a rather scary look on your face~." Viperae says almost mockingly, and Garmadon has to take a few deep breaths when he feels his irritation spike. The darkness was getting to him, swaying his thoughts into darker territory.

"Anyone would be annoyed if they were stuck with _you_." Kai grits out, unknowingly buying his sensei some time to gather himself.

"I was merely calculating the distance we've traveled in order to gauge how close we are to reaching the river." He lies. He had no idea how far they've traveled, an oversight in the lie that he could be easily called out on, and he isn't sure whether he should bemoan the fact that his lying ability was rusty or be happy he hadn't had to lie in so long.

"The river is close." Viperae says easily, ignoring the master of fire. "I can hear it."

The group is silent, the other two trying to hear the river as Viperae had, only for the red ninja to huff in annoyance.

"What does lying about that even get you?!"

"I'm not lying." Viperae meets the other's glare with his own. "Your hearing is just poor."

Garmadon couldn't hear the sound of running water, either, but he couldn't exclude the possibility that Jay simply had better hearing then the two of them, which had allowed the villain possessing his body to catch wind of it before them.

"It should be within walking distance, then." Garmadon states, not wanting to deal with yet another argument. He takes the lead, the other two thankfully following him without comment.

The silence doesn't last long enough.

"Hey, there's the river!"

"I told you."

"Lucky guess."

Garmadon suppresses a sigh. This was going to be a long day.

End chapter forty one

* * *

AN: I just wanted to take this moment to thank those who read, reviewed, and favorited my story so far! I'm glad that you all enjoy it, since I'm enjoying writing it. If anyone has any constructive criticism, I'm totally open to hearing it.

In other news, I saw the new Ninjago movie the other day! It was really good. I was worried about how they characterized Lord Garmadon, since in the show he was always a great dad, even when he was evil, but it wasn't so bad. Although, I'll fully admit, I'm still a little miffed that every ninja can be compared to their show version and be recognizable as the same person _but_ Jay. Like, his redesign looks adorable too, but couldn't they have at least left his hair color the same or something?

So, yeah, not going to lie, the movie has definitely changed the landscape of the future of my story a bit, but not majorly! Also, for a moment I forgot that I called it the Ultra Weapon and not the Ultimate Weapon and was worried about the names being the same. Thankfully, I did not. ^u^

I'll just end this little rant by thanking Lilly Westella (hope I spelled that right!) once again for all her help with this story, from bouncing ideas off one another, to encouraging me to keep writing it! I don't think this story would be near what it is now without her.

-Kit


	43. Chapter 42

The smell of the water rested delicately on the air, just as the babbling flow of it matched its carrying melody. Viperae might have been able to appreciate it under other circumstances; without the pain setting his nerves alight, without a clueless elemental with no control over his temper making jabs at him whenever he could, and especially without the heavy weight of the little blue jay's emotions weighing down on him.

 _There will always be time later._ He thinks dully. _There's always time later…_

So instead he turns away from the beautiful scene and focuses on what has recently upset the child. There, sitting in water just shallow enough to be seen, was some sort of machine.

 _ **W-why…?**_ The blue ninja asks shakily. _**That can't be… right?**_

His forced laughter isn't convincing in the slightest, especially when he can sense the growing confusion, dread, and betrayal the other feels.

"Isn't that one of Jay's inventions?" The matchstick asks bluntly. "Why's it in the river?"

"…This is most likely Wu's doing." Jun replies, sounding sad. "He was… very _focused_ on finding Misako when I left."'

Viperae grits his teeth, trying to sort through the slew of emotions that has taken hold of him. They were so _strong_ it was hard to tell whether the agitation he feels is his own or the child's, but either way it would lead to a dangerous lack of control if he didn't keep a tight lid on it.

"We're wasting daylight." His own voice sounds tight, and he can feel the other two's gazes boring into him.

"…Jay really can't see any of this, can he?" The matchstick asks, the sadness in his eyes poorly hidden by an angry glare. "I mean, there's no way he would just sit back and not say anything if he saw one of his inventions trashed like this."

 _ **What am I supposed to do?**_ The blue jay responds angrily. _**They're all already ruined! I mean, why would he stop at just one? What would be the point in that? No, I bet he threw all of my stuff overboard! It's not like any of it was important, nooo, it's just Jay's stuff! Who cares what happens to it?!**_

Before he knows it electricity is sparking over his skin, causing spikes of pain wherever the current travels.

"Viperae…" Jun sounds weary as he steps between the villain and the red ninja. Did they think he was going to attack the master of fire over one little comment about the blue jay? An innocuous, sad little thing disguised as an angry question? "You need to calm down."

That wasn't really the problem here, though. He knew how to work through his anger, how to maintain a higher level of thought even as his blood sung for other's to be spilled. No, the problem was the little blue jay, who was fearfully clinging so tightly to his power that it caused them both to suffer.

He was tempted to step back, to let the child have control once more, simply because the pain would shift his focus. Force him to forget his warring emotions in the face of unrelenting pain. He didn't, though. He didn't want to listen to the other's crying, or deal with the aftermath of him clawing at his skin like some sort of caged animal.

So instead he meets the dragon lord's eyes, despite knowing that he couldn't hide the way his face contorted no matter how much he wished to, and opened his mouth to try and say something, anything, that could assure the other that he wasn't preparing to attack them.

What comes out isn't words, though.

The black sludge finds its way up his throat and past his lips. He gags, turning away from the suddenly worried pair as more sickeningly sweet sludge forces its way up his throat, keeping him from taking a breath in.

"Viperae-" He isn't sure what Jun plans on saying, because he's cut off by a pained hiss as he gets too close and finds the lightning arching over to him.

 _I told him to stop doing this._ He thinks dully as his lungs begin to ache for air. He knew why the darkness has chosen this child (due to lightning always being surrounded by darkness), but the element itself was light. The disparity, along with the element's natural ability to strengthen its bearer's sense of touch, was likely why this was so agonizing. _Not that being on this island is helping any._

 _ **Viperae…**_ The blue jay's voice wobbles, the closest he could get to tears in his current state. _**Are we going to die?**_

Finally a break in the dark fluid pouring from his mouth, he takes a shuddering breath and coughs out.

"C-calm _down_ …" His voice is rough, not the soothing tone the child was perhaps hoping for, but at the moment this is all he can do. "We'll be fine."

He takes a few deep breaths, notes the puddle of dark fluid at his feet as he wipes the remaining trail off of his chin. There's a heavy silence before the matchstick eloquently breaks it.

"What the fuck was that?"

He's tired. Far too tired to deal with the master of fire's aggravating personality. The child's anger has settled in the wake of what just happened, instead turning to a heavy anxiety that feels like claws raking over his mind. He's tense all over, sore and racked with pain at the same time… he considers leaving. Of calling forth Cryptor to bring him the Ultra weapon, and to regain his own body. He isn't sure what would happen in that case. Would the child just die without a soul to leech the life force from?

 _That might be a mercy…_ death was always a mercy. A mercy that he was never afforded, instead forced to endure pain time and time again until the darkness slowly stitched him back together. _But I don't have a reputation for being merciful, now do I?_

Viperae was the first to admit he could be… sadistic. He didn't want to give his enemies a relief he could never feel himself. So instead he gave the mercy of a swift death to unrelated parties, innocents who hadn't the chance to choose to follow him, and a life of suffering to those who chose to defy him.

Right now Jay was something… in between. Openly defying him, but at the same time prying at him with worries that an enemy would never have. About his sleeping habits, his eating habits, how he talked to others. He didn't have a category to place the blue jay in… but maybe that would change once the darkness had taken him.

 _He'll either become my greatest ally, or my worst enemy._ And he almost wants to smile due to the irony. It would be the same conundrum as an immovable object meeting an unstoppable force. If neither could die, truly, they would destroy everything around them in an endless battle until nothing was left.

"Viperae…" Jun's voice is cautious, steely and somehow hopeful all at once. "Jay is aware of what's going on, isn't he?"

"I shouldn't have assumed I could hide that from you forever, Jun~…" He laughs weakly. "You're far too clever."

* * *

Wu quickly makes his way through the camp, now armed with the info he needed. He'd had to tie the snake up and leave him on the Bounty under Pixal's watch, otherwise he'd go running back to his master with the news of Wu's arrival.

Currently he was making his way through the camp, heading towards the mines. He had already checked the tents and she wasn't in any of them, so the mines were where she had to be.

His heart soars when he sees her toiling away at the dark crystals that seem to take in the light around them, what little there is from their dim lanterns, anyway.

"Misako." He quickly runs up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and pulling her away from her task. "I am here to rescue you."

"I don't need rescuing." She says stubbornly. A flash of irritation washes over Wu, but he pushes it down and reminds himself that she had always been stubborn.

"We can get your team out of here later." He insists. "Right now we need to focus on getting you to safety."

"I'm not going anywhere." Misako replies, glaring at Wu. "I have to mine this."

"What…?" Wu is shocked. That wasn't the answer he was expecting. That wasn't Misako talking, he was certain, it had to be the effect of this island. "We have to get you away from here."

He grabs her arm and starts to pull her away. He'd take her back to the ship, lock her in one of the rooms if he had to, and then he'd come back to defeat the evil lurking here. Once that was done he could round up all her crew, along with the pirates, and his ninja (along with his brother).

"Let go of me!" Misako pulls her arm out of his grip, her other hand gripping her pickax tightly. "Our Master has commanded us to mine the darkness here, and how dare you try to interrupt!"

The commotion had caught the attention of the other miners. The clanging of pickaxes and shattering crystals slowly comes to a stop as one by one they all turn to him. Their eyes all depict anger as they begin to step forward, pickaxes held at the ready…

He's forced to run, as there was no way to fight off that many people without someone innocent getting hurt, and although something in him screamed it didn't matter so long as Misako was alright, he knew that wasn't true. He had to take out the person that had brainwashed Misako first, before he could save her.

With that thought in mind he returns to where he'd hidden the Golden mech, climbs aboard, and heads directly for where the serpentine he'd interrogated said his master was staying while his 'subjects' toiled away in the mines for him.

* * *

"Seriously?!" Kai can't help but question, glaring at the villain who just gives him a flat look in return. "Wait, just how do we know you aren't trying to trick us?"

The other lets out an annoyed _tsk_ sound.

"What would I have to gain by you knowing this?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" He challenges.

"Kai, please." Sensei Garmadon says, nearly exasperated.

"Sorry, Sensei." Kai does feel a little bad about his near constant outbursts and the strain that was putting on his sensei. It was hard to control it, especially with the very reason for their current predicament and all the heartache their whole group was facing right before him poking fun of him.

"…Viperae." Sensei Garmadon turns to the villain, whose gaze had drifted during their short exchange, which surprised Kai. He'd have thought the other would have gloated about the red ninja being scolded. "Kai is right, we can't just take your word for it."

"You want to speak with him directly." Viperae cuts right to the chase. "I'm afraid that just isn't an option… not to mention, I don't particularly _care_ if you believe me about this or not."

The master of fire bites back a growl, trying his best to wrangle in his anger, and instead defer to his sensei, who appears to be considering the other's words.

"…Jay was never good at handling pain." Sensei Garmadon says after a time.

"Is that so?" Viperae's thoughtful hum is so obviously fake. "I didn't know."

* * *

"So you're the one who tried to disrupt my mining operation." The mastermind behind this whole evil scheme meets him outside the temple of light, obviously having been warned by one of the people who were in the mine.

"You… you should have died with the cursed realm!" Wu grits his teeth. Just how many people had escaped the cursed realm? It was supposed to be a fortress where there was no way for the criminals sent there to escape, unlike a normal prison. Instead he'd been forcing people from ships that he purposefully crashed on the island to mine of the dark matter held deep within the soil here in order to taint the temple of light. Even now there were people piling up the dark purple stones outside of the temple. Why, though, he hadn't managed to get out of that snake. It had insisted that no one would _dare_ to question their master, and he hadn't deemed them worthy of such information. "Just who let you out?"

Viperae had already let his brother out of the cursed realm (or tricked his nephew into doing it for him), there was a good chance he was involved in this too.

" _Who_?" Clouse parrots with a scoff. "I am a master of the dark arts! I didn't need anyone's assistance to get out of there." The air starts to pulse with power that flows all around them, the mages hands glowing with purple energy as he begins to cast a spell. "And now that I'm free to do as I please, I can use the darkness here to shape Ninjago as I see fit!"

"So that's what you're after." Wu moves the Golden mech into a fighting position. "Well, I'm afraid that's not going to happen. I'm going to stop you right here, and right now."

That darkness that he's weaving with his spell work takes the form of a mech, which looks like it could be the Golden mech's shadow. Clouse hops into it, cackling as he goes.

"Not even the _green ninja_ can stop me now!"

No more words were exchanged between them as they both rush forward. Their swords meet with a mighty _clang_ , sending vibrations so far down the arm of the Golden mech that Wu can feel it. Clouse smirks at him, and Wu glares at the other.

Clouse swings at him, and Wu deflects it. The giant sword cleaves the ground to his right, leaving an opening that Wu doesn't hesitate to take. He jabs his sword forward, aiming to pierce through the ghost controlling the Dark mech, but at the last second the Golden mech's leg gives out, forcing him down on one knee and his sword to skid off one of the shoulder plates harmlessly.

"What-?" Wu glances down at the leg in confusion and is met with the sight of a shadow figure pulling at the wiring of the Golden mech's leg. He bats it away with his mech's free hand and growls at the mage. "You coward… didn't think you could defeat me in a fair fight?"

"All's fair in love and war." Clouse sneers at him. "Just ask your brother."

Wu loses his temper at that, forces the Golden mech to lunge forward with its good leg while swinging his sword with as much force as the old mech can manage. He's probably yelling in rage, but he's seeing too much red to care. He was going to kill Clouse, never mind that he was a ghost, he'd find a way to kill him permanently.

Their swords meet once again, their mechs both shuddering with the force of their combined attacks, and then… _snap_. The sword breaks. _His_ sword breaks. Wu's sword, his father's creation, snapped… no _shattered._ Clouse had shattered the sword of the Golden mech.

"…how?" He breathes out in shock.

"I told you, didn't I?" The mage's sword darts forward, intending to impale the old sensei, only missing its target by inches as Wu grabs onto the sword with his mech. The sound of screeching metal leaves his ears ringing as the blade pierces through the Golden mech. "I'm unstoppable…" He roughly pulls the sword back out, smile maniacal. "and once the temple of light falls, and darkness has consumed Ninjago, they'll all have no choice but to bow before me!"

Clouse slashes at Wu, and the arm he uses to block the attack falls to the ground with a heavy thump. If this went on he was going to die… he has to retreat. He can't just turn around and start running with the mech's leg messed up, and he'd never get away on foot, so he sends out a prayer and hits the boosters.

He can hear them fire up as he starts to ascend, along with another terrible screech of metal on metal as the other mech's sword drags down the leg of the Golden mech.

"Now who's the coward?!" Clouse calls out, sounding triumphant.

 _I just need to regroup…_ Wu thinks unconvincingly as he turns to head back to the Bounty. _Then I'll be back to defeat you once and for all._

It's just as he's getting above the trees that something explodes and the Golden mech begins to veer wildly off course. He pushes a few buttons, tries to steer the mech, but it's quickly heading for a crash. With the boosters only throwing the mech more and more out of control, Wu sets them down and braces for impact.

* * *

Hiroshi carefully climbs his way into the branches of the tree that housed the creature that would be able to help him fulfill Lloyd's request. The creature lived deeper into his forest, making its home high in the treetops, where it would hunt for prey and make nests for its young.

The forest spirit holds out a hand to the creature and mimics the sounds that the mother would make towards their young, a sound he'd heard enough times to have it memorized. The creature skitters up his arm, settling on his shoulder, and he carefully makes his way back down, branches shifting to give him better access.

"Is that a scorpion?" The green ninja's face shows trepidation. "I, uh… I thought you were going to grab a flower or something."

"What's a scorpion?" Hiroshi gently urges the creature onto his hand and looks it over. It looked exactly as it always did, but he never had a name for it before. Most creatures here didn't actually have a name, as far as he knew.

 _Do human's typically name things they've never seen before?_ He wonders. _I'll have to ask Dan later…_

"A scorpion is basically what you're holding there… aside from those wings." The green ninja takes a step back. "Please tell me it can't fly."

"That's actually meant to deter predators by making it look bigger." The green ninja breathes out a sigh of relief. "Oh, but I suppose it _can_ glide, too."

"Great." Lloyd moves back a little more. "This place just gets better and better…"

"If you like that, there are a lot of other things I could show you!" Hiroshi couldn't help but smile. So few people said nice things about him like that.

"Uh, thanks… but you know I've got some important ninja business, so I don't think I'll be able to do that."

"Right." Hiroshi was a little disappointed, but the other _had_ asked for something that could cause localized numbness. "So this… scorpion's sting causes numbness in most animals."

"…Most?"

"It depends on the size and how much poison is injected. Larger animals appear to be effected less, while I have seen it kill some small birds."

"…and has it ever stung a human?"

"Yep!" Hiroshi remembered that clearly. It was before Dan arrived. The person had complained a lot about how numb his leg was afterword. He had even mumbled about how relieved he was that it wasn't numb anymore before he'd fallen off a cliff and ended up dying a few days later. "You should be fine."

"That's reassuring…"

"Lloyd?" The forest spirit asks as a thought strikes him. "Just what do you want this for?"

If he wanted to take one of his scorpions away, even if he intended to bring it back, Hiroshi would have to refuse him. The forest spirit didn't mind helping, but he wasn't going to put any of his animals at risk. The potential of it messing with the cycle here was too great, and they had been his only company far longer than Dan had been around.

"About that…"

* * *

Misako's head was ringing… what had happened? She'd been… mining?

 _Mining up crystalized darkness for that man who called himself our master._ Disgust fills her as she remembers the arrogant man. _He did something… cast some sort of mind control spell._

She brushes away the feeling of violation that thought brings. She remembered every second of what had happened, not a single blank spot in her memory, but the thought of someone controlling her very thoughts was incredibly intrusive to her.

There were murmurs around her, confusion and fear. It seemed that she wasn't the only one to have come to.

"Oh, _god…_ we're trapped!" Someone yells.

She turns her attention to where the entrance should be, but there's only rock and the outline of something golden blocking it. This wasn't good…

"Keep calm." She says loudly, her voice echoing inside the cave. "Nothing will come of us panicking."

If they could all keep calm and assess the situation, she was certain that they could find a solution. And even if they couldn't get out, this was the only place that she knew of that had access to the crystalized darkness, so there was a good chance that the man who called himself their master would see fit to clear the entrance. Also, the fact that his workforce was rather small, even between the archeologists and the pirates that he'd brainwashed into servitude, so he had a reason to want to keep as many of them from dying as possible.

Something shifts towards the front of the cave, she notices the golden thing move, and mechanics she hadn't noticed before showing as light shines through the spaces the golden machinery vacated. Cracks spread over their heads, dust raining down from the ceiling, and Misako only has time to take in a quick breath before the cave in starts.

End chapter forty two

* * *

AN: Hey! Thanks again to everyone who read, reviewed, and favorited my story so far! Today I'd like to give a shoutout to Loki God of Evil, who's reviewed almost every chapter of my story so far. It always brightens my day to see your reviews, Loki, so thanks! ^u^

-Kit


	44. Chapter 43

"This is it…" Zane says softly. "We've done all we can."

"Don't say that!" Echo pleads. "Not when we're so close…"

The spell that Alphonse had given them had been a little frustrating. After they'd found another shard, they'd used it, but it was a little hard to tell which way it wanted them to go considering that both ends had points. They'd had to basically move around in a circle slowly in order to test out which direction it was really pointing.

Between Cole, Echo, and Occasionally Ronin (with enough pestering from Echo), they'd managed to find all but a tiny piece of his soul stone. Echo had been so happy about their progress… until the spell had lead them to the edge of Ninjago. Before them stretched miles of ocean.

Zane probably shouldn't have been surprised. The blast had scattered his soul stones pretty far, and then people had moved them even farther… so it wasn't that hard to believe someone had taken one of his soul stones out onto the water and lost it.

 _But even with the spell, the chances of us finding it are slim…_ he can't bear to look at his brother's desperate face. _It could be so deep that it'd be impossible to safely retrieve it._

"Echo…" He isn't sure what to say. His brother had tried so hard for him, while he'd just hidden this and hoped he wouldn't die before they'd saved Jay. Now that they'd reached this point he found himself regretting his actions even more. "I'm sorry."

If he'd told his brothers sooner, would the shard have still been retrievable?

"…You know, it might not be in the ocean." Cole says hopefully. "It could be on a ship, or… or even on the Dark Island!"

"Yes!" Echo turns to the master of earth, a grateful smile on his face. "That is true. To give up before we have explored those options would be foolhardy."

"I'll give you it might be on a ship." Ronin says with a repressed sigh. "But I highly doubt it'd be anywhere _near_ the Dark Island. No one goes there willingly for pleasure, and it's too far out for anyone to use it as a meeting point for shady deals."

"Ok, so that is not a logical place for it to be, especially given that such a small explosion would not have nearly enough power to propel it there…" Echo agrees thoughtfully.

The white ninja wants to tell them not to get their hopes up (not that Ronin probably cared), but he couldn't bring himself to crush his brother like that. Instead he turns to the others, a small smile on his face, and says.

"Let's look onto chartering a boat."

"Better yet," Ronin cuts in, proudly displaying the note Viperae had left him what feels like ages ago, most of the coordinates crossed out. "we could ride in comfort on a private ship."

"Do we have time for that?" Cole questions. "I mean, REX still needs to be reassembled, right?"

"I've been having less… outbursts, as we've gathered more of my soul stones." The master of ice says cautiously. "And it would be much easier to scour the sea if we had a private vehicle that could make sharp turns."

"Great, then what are we waiting for?" Ronin's grin spreads wide at his words.

Cole rolls his eyes at the villain, while Echo matches the criminal's excited pace as they go. Zane trails along behind them, looking back out over the sea, which is glittering under the sunlight. Far beyond what he could see, even as a nindroid, was the Dark Island.

 _I hope you're all okay over there…_

* * *

Nya tries not to pout as she and Skylor are forced to make camp early. They'd been wandering aimlessly for a while now, and the chance of them going the wrong way and ending up farther away than before was far too high. It wasn't Skylor's fault, so the master of water didn't want the other to have to deal with her souring mood.

"I know it isn't likely," Nya says casually as she heads for the nearest tree. "but I'm going to see if I can see any signs of their camp yet."

"Alright." Skylor says easily, giving her a sympathetic look. Of course the restaurant owner was aware of how she felt, she seemed to have a second sense for it. "I'm going to scout out the area, see what's nearby."

"Don't go too far." Nya warns her. "The last thing we need is to get separated."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful."

Nya doesn't expect to see much of anything, but she still hopes to all the same. Time was dragging on and she was getting anxious to see her brother. He was the only family that she had left, after all, she wasn't sure what she'd do if she lost him as well…

"Huh?" Off in the distance a flash of gold catches her eyes before it dives back below the tree line. "What in the world?"

Quickly climbing back down, Nya calls out to Skylor, who hurries back to their camp.

"What is it?!" The other woman questions, looking ready to fight. Seeing no enemies, she relaxes and turns to face Nya fully. "Did you see smoke?"

"No." Nya shakes her head. "But I did see something gold off in the distance over that way."

Skylor looks over in the direction Nya pointed, although there's no way she'd be able to see past all the trees between them, and her brows furrow.

"Do you think it was that nindroid again?"

"It was too big to be a nindroid." The master of water shrugs. "And besides, I already took care of him, so there's no way he could do anything."

"Then what could it have been?"

"I only know two people who used gold like that…" Nya frowns, thinking about the two. Lloyd and the Overlord. "Neither of them should be on the Dark island, though."

"Just because they shouldn't, doesn't mean they _aren't._ " Skylor says, looking serious. "You said it yourself; that nindroid's master, Viperae, is very likely to be on this island."

"Right." Nya felt a little foolish. How could she have forgotten? "Either way, I think we should go check it out."

Skylor nods, and just like that they're on the move again.

* * *

"Misako?!" Wu calls out desperately, heedless of the dust that was just beginning to settle. "Misako, can you hear me?!"

Horror washes over him wave after wave, having only grown since he'd realized that the crumbling dirt that had rained down on him hadn't been from a crater that the Golden mech had made on impact like he'd first assumed, but from the cave that Misako was working in with countless others.

 _Why did I have to move the mech?_ He thinks in despair as he stumbles through the pluming dust blindly. _I should have left it there; assessed the damage before trying to move it._

Summoning his dragon, he instructs it to flap its wings to blow away the lingering dust. Once that's done he can see it… and his heart drops even more as his fear climbs higher.

There, crushed under some rocks, was Misako. Dirt clung to her skin and clothes, what little of it he could see… it seems she made it to the entrance of the cave, had almost made it out, before the rocks had pinned her to the ground.

"Misako…" He rushes forward, kneeling before her, and only barely finds relief when she opens her eyes at his calling. "It's- It's going to be alright. I'm going to get you out of there, and then I'll get you back to Ninjago and to a hospital, and you'll be fine."

"Wu…" She smiles at him softly, lovingly, sadly... He feels his heart break. "I need to tell you something."

"Save your energy." He pleads with her, but he can already see the determination in her eyes, the certainty that he'd always admired in her. Now he wishes she'd been more apt to listen to other's worries and concerns…

"Wu, you have to listen to me now." She reaches out weakly and he grabs her hand in both of his, vision beginning to blur. "The person behind this, he told me everything… he was bragging about how he'd crush my husband beneath his boot after he became the ruler of Ninjago… He said that, once the temple of light fell, the islands would rejoin each other as one singular land mass, and then the darkness would spread across both." She pauses to take a deep, ragged sounding breath, before she ends up coughing up some blood. Wu squeezes her hand as his heart squeezes in his chest. "Once… O-once that happens… he said that… people would be… b-begging him to…. To pro-protect them. To be their Mast-ter…"

"It's okay." He cuts her off, unable to take hearing her weakening voice any longer. "I understand what he's planning, and I promise we'll stop it." She squeezes his hand, and he can feel her waning strength. "Just hold on, alright? First we'll get you out of there…"

"There's no time." She smiles at him, far more serene than she should be given the situation. "Lives… are on the line, Wu… More than just… mine."

"Misako…" His voice breaks as tears begin to pour down his cheeks. "I love you."

"Promise me… that… you won't let this… come between you… and Garmadon." She's looking at him, not in her determined way, but pleading this time. "For Lloyd's… sake. He'll need both… of you."

"I-I promise." He agrees. "Misako, I love you."

"Thank you…" Relief fills her face. "Wu…"

She's cut off by another round of coughing; it sounds so _wet_ and there's _so much_ blood that Wu's worried she'll die right there.

"Misako, please, I just… I know you're married to my brother, but I need to know." His heart is pounding, adrenaline pumping through his veins. "Do you love me?"

"Wu…" She says sadly, barely able to squeeze his hand anymore. "the past… is the… past."

"And the future is the future." He finishes for her.

Her eyes are already fluttering, her hand limp in his, her ragged breaths getting shallower and farther apart… until they stop completely.

* * *

Despite Garmadon having been the one to make the suggestion in the first place, Viperae's easy admittance that Jay was witnessing everything caused him to doubt it. He'd expected denials, lies to cover it up and pretend that it was hopeless. He'd been expecting to have to find a way to try and communicate with the blue ninja that the villain couldn't interfere with, but he'd just… said yes.

 _And he wasn't wrong when he suggested he had nothing to gain from it, so just why would he tell us?_ No matter how Garmadon thought about it, he couldn't think of any motive. And then there was the fact that he had gotten sick. Was it connected to whatever had caused the internal bleeding, or was it another matter entirely? _Was that why he was avoiding eating?_

Kai hadn't stopped staring at Viperae since the reveal, and frequently made remarks that were obviously meant for Jay in the hopes of getting some reaction.

"You know," Viperae sighs in annoyance. "I could act as a mediary for you, since you're apparently dying to talk to the blue jay."

"Hell no!" Kai barks right back. "There's no way I'd trust you not to lie or cover things up."

"That's just as well, I suppose~." Viperae laughs mockingly. "He doesn't really want to speak with you, anyway."

" _You_ …" The master of fire's hands tremble he's clenching his fists so hard, desperately trying to keep his anger in check.

Garmadon wants to sigh himself. This whole mess was giving him a headache… He couldn't wait until they found Misako and could go back home.

There's a brief lull where everyone falls silent, and Garmadon is waiting for one of his two traveling companions (or would acquaintances be more accurate?) to break it and start up the bickering once more. He doesn't expect what comes next, though.

Viperae stops and begins to turn to look behind them, only to dodge back as a blast of water jets past at alarming speed. His back is at the river's edge, and in the next second a blast of water from it hits him in the back, sending him rolling forward. He's back on his feet quickly, two claw blades sliding free from his sleeve as he begins to dart forwards towards his attacker.

This all happens within seconds, Garmadon doesn't have much time to process what's happening before he's rushing forward to intercept Viperae's attack, grabbing his arm while yelling out over his shoulder to Nya.

"Hold your attack!" Once he's sure the master of water isn't going to act he turns to meet Viperae's eye. He's mad, scowling and dripping wet, looking ready to kill. "We have a truce, remember?"

" _I_ didn't attack first, if you hadn't noticed, Jun." Viperae hisses back, pulling his arm from the other's grip roughly, the blades coming dangerously close to cutting Garmadon's face. "And I _will_ defend myself if need be, regardless of whether or not you consider the Nymph an ally."

"Sensei, what's going on?" Nya asks cautiously, sounding confused. "Why are you protecting that villain?"

 _I'm protecting you._ Garmadon bites back the heated retort. He certainly didn't need to incite the girl's ire at the moment. She was almost as bad as Kai was when she got mad… actually, she was worse, but perhaps that had to do with the fact that she didn't lose her temper as easily as her brother.

"Nya…" Kai breathes out a sigh of relief. "and Skylor, too. You're both alright?"

"We're fine." Skylor replies, giving the master of fire a small smile before turning to Nya. "We found each other pretty early on, so it was actually you that we were worried about. We thought you were alone out here, but it seems that you had your sensei to rely on, which is a relief."

"Yeah, I'm glad you're alright, too, bro." Nya spares her brother a relieved smile before turning to face Garmadon and Viperae. "But what's _he_ doing here? With you, I mean. Why aren't you trying to capture him? He's obviously up to no good."

"We agreed to a truce." Kai says, frowning at the villain. "Apparently he managed to get all the criminals he sprung from prison killed on the trip here, so he wanted us to act as body guards for him."

"In exchange for helping you navigate the dangers of this island, let's not forget." Viperae huffs, struggling to pull back his sleeve with a trembling hand. It was worse than before, and Garmadon wonders if he'd used up most of his energy in that little exchange before. It wasn't long, barely anything, but they'd been walking for a few hours already, so it might have been enough to finally tire him out. Once the mechanism strapped to his arm is fully exposed, he grabs onto something and pulls back, retracting the blades into their hidden position, and then he struggles to lower the sleeve back down.

"I believed it was a good idea." Garmadon says before Nya can question them further, before addressing the villain. "Viperae, Nya and Skylor are a part of our team. If you want this alliance to last, I expect you to include them in it as well."

He meets his gaze for a long moment, but Garmadon doesn't waver, and eventually the other smirks.

"Well, it seems I have no choice, do I?"

"Um, Kai, Sensei Garmadon, can I speak to you two alone?" Nya says suddenly, looking pensive. "Skylor, keep an eye on _him_ , please?"

"Sure." The restaurant owner agrees easily.

With a nod between the two girls, Nya begins to walk away a short distance, not waiting for an answer form either her brother or Garmadon. Once she deems them far enough away, she turns to them and begins to whisper.

"Listen, there's something I think you should know." She glances back over at where Skylor and Viperae now appear to be talking idly. Garmadon hoped the villain wasn't planning on pushing the girl's buttons, she had enough troubles as it was. "Before we found you guys, we ran into Cryptor."

"What?" Kai throws a small glare at the villain before turning back to his sister. "He told us all his underlings were dead."

"If Cryptor was the only one, that's true now." Nya smirks. "But, that isn't it. You know how he took the golden armor? Well, apparently he turned it into something he calls the Ultra weapon."

Garmadon felt a chill go down his spine at those words. He remembered the power of the Mega weapon, how it allowed him to do things normally impossible. To raise the dead, to create alternate versions of the ninja… to go back in _time_. That was when the weapon had just been made up of the four golden weapons, not the eight that made up the meteor the armor was forged from. He could scarcely imagine the power it'd have now, what could be achieved with double the power of the Mega weapon.

"Where is it now?" He questions the master of water urgently.

"It's probably at the bottom of a pit of quicksand with Cryptor's corpse by now." Nya looks smug, but Garmadon feels his dread grow.

"You left it there?" At his urging her smile drops a bit.

"Yeah… Cryptor said that no one could touch it."

With that much power, Garmadon wouldn't be surprised that a normal person wouldn't be able to… still.

"Nya, we don't know who else is here; who could have gotten to it before it sunk fully." Her face drops more and more as he goes on, until she's grimacing. "We can't leave something that powerful just lying around."

"O-of course, Sensei." She replies, chastised. "I… I _think_ I know how to get back there."

Garmadon hesitated. The further they walked, the harder it would be for her to remember how to return there, but if they split up again, something else could happen. Who knows whether or not Viperae had other sleeper agents in hiding on the island, waiting to ambush them while they were separated? No… it would be a bad idea to split up. But, on the other hand, if they didn't split up, he'd have to wait even longer before going to see Misako.

 _I'm sorry, Misako…_ He feels his heart twist at the thought. _I'm sure you'll agree this is the right choice, but I promise we'll do whatever you like to make up for it once all this is over._

"We have to go retrieve it." He says firmly. "How we'll keep Viperae from finding out, though…"

Skylor's scream of pain catches all of their attention and they're quickly hurrying the short distance back to the other two. Kai and Nya are both ready to fight, but Viperae has his hands up in a pose of surrender, an annoyed expression on his face.

"I tried to warn her," He says before either ninja can demand answers. "amber catches much more than just insects…"

"Skylor, are you okay?" Kai kneels down next to the restaurant owner, who was on the ground clutching her stomach, and lays a gentle hand on her back.

"I-I…" She says shakily, looking up at Kai before her eyes go to the villain. "What are you? It felt… l-like I was _dying_ , and everything was horrible, and I felt this mirth and horror, a-and this creeping _darkness_ …"

"Like I said." Viperae sighs. "You're the master of amber, right? You need to be careful of what you trap."

"I don't… I don't h-have any powers anymore." She's shivering, but sitting up a little straighter and leaning in towards Kai subtly.

"Something has weakened them, yes." Viperae crosses his arms now that it seems no one is going to attack him. "You'll probably never be able to use them to the extent you did before, but your element is still there." He grits his teeth as little sparks of electricity crackle over his fingers. "Amber is a rather curious element. It allows you to absorb many things… other elements, emotions, and even pain. Just as amber traps insects, leaves, or whatever else lays in its path, you need to be careful of what you get close to, or you'll absorb more than you'd probably like."

She looks confused for a moment, processing his words for a moment, before an acceptance appears in her eyes.

"I… I see." She glances over at Kai, who takes his hand away as if he'd been burned, she reaches out and grabs his hand, which causes his face to tint pink. "How do you know this? And… and how can you stand it? That felt… _horrible._ "

Viperae is silent for a time, and it's just as Garmadon is certain he doesn't intend to answer that he speaks.

"I have a lot of experience…" Viperae pauses, his eyes looking dimmer as he appears to become lost in thought. "And a vested interest in information regarding the Dragons of origin."

Silence reigns for a moment, before Skylor softly asks.

"A lot of experience with pain…?"

This time he doesn't answer, just turns to keep walking the way they'd come from, his legs are visibly shaking with every step he takes, clearly drained from everything that had happened.

"Viperae." Garmadon calls out, and the other stops, barely turning his head to show he was listening. "There's been a change of plans. There's something else we need to do first."

"…Then I suppose this is where we part ways."

"What?!" Kai shouts out, surprised. "What happened to you being worried about protecting yourself or whatever?! Are you just going to let the first animal that comes along eat you?!"

"Unlike you all," He replies, tone haughty. "I don't have any time to spare."

The next step he takes falters and then he's falling to the ground, hands barley catching him as his breathing picks up in speed.

"No…" He laughs, high pitched and almost hysterical. "We're not leaving them, Hykos."

End chapter forty three

* * *

AN: Hey! Thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, and favorites my story. Seeing how much you guys enjoy it makes posting this worth it, and makes me even more determined not to miss an day when updating. ^u^

Whelp, it's official. Despite the body count of this story being pretty high already (between Viperae killing the guards and the criminals dying in the wreck), this is the first major character death. I almost feel like I should apologize to anyone who likes Misako, haha.


	45. Chapter 44

Everything hurts. Jay tries to grit his teeth, tangles one hand into his hair, the other is clawing at the ground; none of it helps. He can barely breathe through the tears, they won't stop, and he can feel the electricity burning over his skin as he calls it forth. It doesn't help, it's like summoning pins and needles to stab into him everywhere all at once, and now that it's started he doesn't know how to make it _stop_.

 _ **Why are you being so stubborn?**_ He's barely aware of Hykos' voice right now and it grates on him so badly. _**You didn't want to join them in the first place.**_

"Jay?" Nya calls out tentatively and his stomach twists.

 _They can all see you, how pathetic you've become, how weak._ He chokes, and it's so much like choking on the words he tried to speak in the endless desert that for a moment he thinks he's back there, that he's going to be consumed by the darkness.

"Jay, I need you to calm down." Sensei Garmadon's voice, steady and concerned, so close and yet so far away. Why was it far away? He was in control.

 _ **Jay, you need to breathe.**_ Oh, Hykos sounds worried and far away, too.

"I can't help you if you keep all of this electricity up." Sensei Garmadon says a touch more urgently.

 _Looks like the blue ninja's turning blue!_ Something in his mind snickers.

 _ **Listen to Jun; you need to stop this!**_

"Jay, come on, man!" Kai sounds panicked. "You're scaring us."

 _You're scared?_ He wants to scoff, but the words just stick with whatever else is blocking his throat.

 _ **This disaster has gone on long enough…**_ Hykos sighs, pushes at his control, and his electricity flairs as he pushes back. He can feel his ground slipping, feel himself swallowing thickly, whatever it is going down his throat like knives and gasping breaths coming out too fast. _**You've had your fun, now let me have control without a fuss.**_

The darkness creeps over the edge of his vision faster than expected, he loses his ground, and everything turns to black before he can even hit the ground.

* * *

Kai hesitates to approach their unconscious friend… Whatever that was, it was nothing like what Lloyd had gone through.

Sensei Garmadon wasted no time as soon as the electricity had stopped to check Jay, taking his vitals and moving him so he's on his back.

"He's…" He hesitates on the word 'fine,' Kai can tell. "alive."

"That," Skylor, much more composed than before, approaches them. She looks grim. "is what I felt before."

Sensei Garmadon's brows are furrowed as he turns to look at Skylor.

"You said it felt like darkness was creeping up on you?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"Do you know what that was, Sensei?" Nya asks hesitantly.

He doesn't answer at first, takes a moment to study Jay's face (still scrunched up in pain despite being unconscious), and softly says.

"When I was younger…" He pauses, looking extremely worried. "After the great devourer had bitten me, I remember feeling the worst pain I'd ever felt in my life up till then…"

"So, what, you think Jay's been poisoned like you were?" Kai scoffs, trying to play it off because there was _no way_ that could be true!

"The darkness is infectious… from the venom of a snake to the waters of a tainted river." He meets Kai's eyes with a steely gaze. "Do you believe Jay wouldn't be infected after having his soul entangled with the source of those other infections?"

"But…" Kai hesitates.

"Shouldn't he have built up an immunity or something?" Nya suggests, sounding uncertain about it herself. "I mean, he's had a piece of Viperae's soul for a really long time…"

"There's also a chance that he's been infected from the start, but it just took a long time to take hold… I didn't become the 'Lord Garmadon' that everyone feared overnight, either."

"So… what does that mean?" Kai asks, trying to wrap his head around everything his sensei was saying. "Is Jay going to become evil or something?"

"Not necessarily…" Sensei Garmadon cuts himself off, looking conflicted.

"Lloyd." Kai realizes. "He could fix Jay… get rid of the darkness, like he did for you."

But he couldn't, unless he wanted to die right after. Hell, maybe he'd die in the process of trying to help, and then they'd both be lost.

"…We can talk about this later." Sensei Garmadon puts an arm under Jay's shoulders and legs. "Right now we need to get moving. Kai, help me put Jay on my back."

"Yes, Sensei."

* * *

"I hope you all appreciate this privilege that I'm about to bestow upon you all." Ronin says to the ninja (and echo) gathered around the table. "After today you'll be one of the select few who have been allowed to see my REX's blueprints."

"Would you hurry it up?" Cole tries to keep from rolling his eyes at the dramatics. They'd gone to Nya's 'secret' hideout in order to put Ronin's ship together, which meant having to look at its blueprints so they didn't reassemble it wrong, and now the criminal was making a big stink about it like anyone here would care.

"Fine." Ronin huffs, unrolling the blueprints unceremoniously (and maybe even a little huffily) before he goes and starts to work while the others study it.

Echo and Zane, both nindroids, don't need to look at it for more than a few seconds before they've got it memorized and are heading off to work as well… which just leaves Cole trying to decipher the white lines crisscrossing in a complicated pattern over the blue paper.

 _Man, I wish I'd payed more attention when Jay had shown me his blueprints._ He got the gist of it, which was mainly the shape of the ship, but he could say the same thing about interlocking brick systems. _Sure, the picture on the outside of the box gives you the gist of it, but if you have no idea what the pictures inside are telling you to do, then good luck making the set right!_

The black ninja can't help but imagine what Jay might say in reply to that. Something like ' _kids_ can understand those booklets, Cole. It's not a good comparison!' or maybe 'are you saying my _amazing_ blueprints are like those childish sets?' or, wait, no, _most likely_ he'd say something like 'yeah, I always liked those sets, because I like building stuff.'

…Okay, so the last one didn't really sound like Jay.

 _Man, I miss him…_ Cole bites back a sigh. _It feels like it's been ages since we last talked._

Running a hand through his hair he tries to focus on the task at hand. Once they'd finished fixing REX, they could look for the last piece or two of Zane's soul, and he would have one less friend to worry about.

"Okay… so, this doohickey connects to that doohickey with one of those long screws and the tiny metal donut like things."

"What did you just say?"

"Ah! What? Huh? Oh, n-nothing, just mumbling to myself…" Cole hadn't expected the criminal to come back over here.

"No, you definitely said something." Ronin reaches over and rolls up REX's blueprints while eyeing the master of earth suspiciously. "And you have officially lost the right to work on my girl."

Cole did his best to keep from making a face at those words. Not because he _cared_ that Ronin didn't want him to work on his ship anymore (three people were probably enough), but because calling his ship 'my girl' was just ridiculous to him, especially when coming from Ronin.

"Oh, that's… just too bad." Cole says unconvincingly, getting a glare from Ronin for his trouble. "I guess I'll just, uh, check in with the others while you guys work?"

He hadn't meant for it to sound like a question, and Ronin didn't really seem to care what he did so long as he didn't try to touch REX, if his flat look was anything to go by. So that left Cole to awkwardly pull out his phone while the other three worked on fixing the criminal's ship. He briefly looks over the numbers, pausing on Jay's for a moment, before he hit's Lloyd's number.

The phone rings for a time, Cole almost thinks it's going to go to voicemail when it picks up. He isn't greeted by the green ninja's cheerful (or pouting) voice, but by the muted mumbling and shuffling as the phone is passed between people.

"-Thanks." He hears Lloyd address whoever it was that had apparently picked up his phone for him, before he addresses Cole with a shaky. "Hey."

"Hi." Cole can't help the worried feelings that pop up at Lloyd's tone. "Is everything alright?"

"What? Why?" He asks hastily before quickly going on to say. "Everything's fine, I mean. Why wouldn't they be?"

That didn't help Cole's worry any. Lloyd was alone right now, surrounded by family of friends and allies they'd made, but without his central support network. The master of earth wishes he'd thought about that before they'd left to find the shards of Zane's soul stone. He'd been far too focused on the fact that they could prevent his death that he hadn't thought twice about leaving their youngest member all alone. Lloyd must be as worried as the rest of them, but his hands were effectively tied at the moment, leaving him unable to help in any meaningful way (or at least that's probably how he saw it).

"I just called to check in…" As much as he wanted to tell Lloyd that everything was fine, that he could trust the black ninja and open up to him, it wasn't that simple. Ever since he'd taken on the mantle of Green Ninja, he'd been struggling with what that meant. Facing his father in battle, having the weight of Ninjago's expectations on his shoulders, facing those envious of his power… Lloyd had faced a lot, with little time to grow into it as he should have had, but he put up a brave face most of the time. He really only let that guard down around Kai, or his father. The best Cole could do to comfort the master of energy right now was to assure him that Zane was going to be alright… which he didn't know for certain, until they get the final pieces of his soul stone.

"Oh?" Lloyd sounds interested, hopeful, even. "Did you manage to get them all?"

"No…" He fails to hold back a sigh. "We're close, though."

"That's good." Lloyd's voice is strained and Cole is suddenly wishing he'd gone with video chat instead of a call; it might help him gauge whether or not Lloyd would be okay. "Things here are good… No one's tried to sneak in, I think-, yeah no one's tried to get in."

That was good. It meant the cultists didn't know where they'd taken everyone.

 _Or,_ he can't help but think. _they're waiting to make their move._

The latter was a worrisome thought, and Cole found himself itching to go grab something to eat even if he wasn't particularly hungry, but he does his best to push both thoughts aside. Hiroshi wasn't just any forest, and Cole trusted that, even if he couldn't keep the cultists out, he'd be able to warn everyone about their presence and even guide them safely away from the threat.

Not that he had any proof of that, beyond what had happened when Viperae showed up.

"Cole?" Lloyd sounds worried now. "Are you still there?"

"Yeah, sorry, I just spaced out for a bit." He tries to laugh it off.

"Sounds like you could use a nap or something." Lloyd tries to laugh it off as well, but an awkward silence descends on them anyway. "So, uh, if you don't have anything else to say…?"

"No, yeah, that's it, really."

They say an even more awkward goodbye before they hang up.

 _He'll be fine._ Cole tries to tell himself. _Lloyd's stronger than we all give him credit for._

* * *

Lou Beckett surveyed the small crowd of people gathered in the forest. If what his son had told him was true (and Cole didn't have any reason to lie to him anymore), then these were all people who were likely to be targeted by some evil group due to their connection to the ninja.

Some of them were obvious, like the Walkers and his own quartet due to their familial connections, but others were a little harder for Lou to place. He figured that they saw Cyrus Borg's support of them as grounds enough to target the man. Then there was Dareth Brown, who had taken on the job of being the ninja's manager despite Lou's protests that he could introduce the ninja to some very good, very _experienced_ managers… but, it seemed that Brown was a new talent that had panned out well, so he couldn't fault his son on trusting his own judgement. Anyway, as a manager was meant to have tabs on their stars, it made sense he'd be a target for anyone who wanted to get at the ninja.

 _And then,_ he thinks, as his gaze lands on the one person he couldn't place. _there's one I can't place at all._

Lou couldn't say he knew everything that went on with his son's life, even after they'd mended their shaky relationship, but he got summaries in the occasional letter, or the rarer phone call, and he got to ask as many questions about what dangerous things his son was getting up to with his friend's on the _even rarer_ occasion his son would visit. Honestly, if he hadn't ended up forging a surprising friendship with Ed and Edna based on their mutual worry over their distant sons, he might not know as much as he did. Jay, whenever his parents managed to get ahold of him, was much chattier about what they were up to than his own son…

That being said, nothing he'd heard or saw on tabloids gave him the impression that they'd have reason to suspect a famous actor would end up a target.

"Excuse me, but you're Cliff Gordon, right?" To sate his own curiosity on the matter, Lou approaches the star and strikes up a conversation.

"…Yes, I am." Gordon replies after a brief pause. He can tell the other man is sizing him up, looking as unhappy as if he'd just shoved a microphone into his face. How interesting. "And you are?"

"Oh, pardon my rudeness." He puts on a charming smile. "I'm Lou Beckett; Cole's father."

"Ah, I should have guessed." The man puts on a polite smile. "The resemblance between you two is stark."

"Please, he takes more after his mother's looks." He laughs the other's compliment off. It was a nicety that he'd been on both sides of, and so he was certain this was a script they both knew well. "The only thing he got from me is his sense of rhythm."

"Yes, well, at least you know there's a piece of the woman you love in the world, right?" Gordon's tone is a little strange as he says this, his eyes a touch distant, but it passes quickly.

"I hadn't thought of it like that…" Lou does his best to keep his tone level, and quickly changes the subject to what he truly wanted to know. "I was curious, how do you know the ninja?"

Cliff Gordon tenses minutely, his eyes becoming guarded even as he smiles easily.

"They," A briefest pause, a consideration of his next words. "needed my help with something. Information, actually. It was recent, so perhaps they thought it best that they bring me here rather than risk my safety."

Lou considered the other's words. It seemed plausible enough, and Cole never told him what was going on currently unless his own life was at risk. But despite that, Lou felt like he wasn't getting the entire truth…

"I see." Despite his own curiosity, he decided to relent. "Well, I'll be taking my leave, then."

"It was nice meeting you."

"Yes, it was nice meeting you, too."

He's barely given time to think it over before someone else is calling his name.

"Oh, Lou!" Edna approaches him, throwing a worried look back the way he'd come. "I noticed you were talking with that man over there."

"Yes, I was." He wasn't sure why she cared. "Do you know him?"

"No, not at all." She gives him one of her more motherly smiles. Even though she (and her husband) are older than him, he figured it had more to do with her being a motherly person than anything. He couldn't imagine becoming a new parent so late into life as they did, to have a son younger than his own, but he figured they'd had troubles conceiving and left it at that. It wasn't his business, and they certainly weren't close enough to feel comfortable divulging such information. "Lou? Are you alright, dear?"

"Hm? Oh, yes." He gives her an apologetic smile. "I was just lost in thought for a moment. You were asking me about Gordon?"

"Is that his name?" She glances over at where he presumes the other man is still standing. "I noticed he doesn't really talk to anyone else here. I thought he might be lonely, but the poor dear doesn't seem comfortable talking to me whenever I've tried. How did he seem to you?"

"He seemed a little distant, but otherwise fine." He keeps himself from glancing back at the other man. It would make their topic of conversation rather obvious. "He's a big star, though, so I'm not surprised he's rather reserved when meeting new people…"

Edna's brows draw together, and she glances over once more. He couldn't help but think about how his son had complained to him once of Jay's lack of anything resembling subtly, and he was starting to see where he'd learned such behavior.

"I'm sorry to ask this of you, Lou, but you understand what it's like to be famous, and he'll at least talk to you without appearing to want to bolt… could you try and befriend him?"

"That's…" He hesitates. "I suppose I could, but I'd like to know why."

"I just feel bad for him, being all alone in an unfamiliar place surrounded by unfamiliar people." She sighs. "…And, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell _you_ this, but he reminds me a bit of Jay. When he's nervous, I mean. He puts on that same fake smile in an attempt to pretend everything is alright. I suppose that's why I can't just ignore him."

She ends her small rant with a sigh.

"It's alright, Edna." He smiles at her. "I can't promise he won't keep me at arm's length based on the assumption I'm only trying to befriend him in order to advance my own career… but I'll try."

"Thank you, Lou." She gives him a relieved smile. "Even if you don't succeed, it's nice to know someone else here has tried to reach out to him."

"Well, I'm glad I can do something to help ease your worries… you and Ed must be worried enough as it is." He tries not to wince as Edna's face falls at the reminder of her own son's situation. "How are you and Ed holding up?"

"…It's always hard when Jay gets into a dangerous situation, which, believe me, has been happening long before he became a ninja." Her eyes get a faraway look to them before she closes them entirely. "Death seems to follow him like a close friend." He isn't sure what to say to that, and in his silence Edna finds her own answer. "That sounds bad, I know… perhaps, with Al reappearing, I've been thinking of past."

"I'd be willing to lend an ear if you'd like to talk about it." He offers. "We can find someplace to sit while we talk, as I'm sure neither of us feel like having such a long conversation while standing around."

"…I would like that." Her smile is gentle, and Lou feels satisfied that he could help. "You might not believe it, but Cole really does take after you. Your leadership and how you try your best to help those around you."

"I-" He hesitates, uncertain, before he realizes. "Edna, were you listening in on my conversation with Gordon earlier?"

"Oh! You know, why don't I try and fix us up something to drink while we talk?" She says hurriedly, before beginning to walk away. "We might not have much, but I'm sure I can find something. Why don't we meet up in a bit to talk?"

With that she was off, leaving Lou to himself until she found _something_ to drink, even if that just meant plain water.

End chapter forty four

* * *

AN: A thanks to all who's reviewed and favorited my story! Knowing how much you all like it makes me more determined to finish the story before the posting schedule catches up! ^u^

In other news, this probably wasn't the return of Jay that you were hoping for. Poor boy just can't catch a break...


	46. Chapter 45

It had been a long time since Edna had smelled something burning. The last time was when Ed had tried to cook her a romantic dinner for their anniversary… the man might have a way with machines, but give him a pot roast and he's lost. She'd made sure that Jay didn't have that same problem later on in life, as no child of hers was going to live off of takeout and frozen foods. Now, she knew that the others in Jay's group of friends didn't all have that same rearing (not that she could blame Lou, as aside from that he'd done a good job raising his son despite being a single parent), he'd often complained about how they'd make basic mistakes and not listen to him when he tried to correct them. 'They'll only listen if Zane says it' he'd complained once.

So, it wasn't a surprise to find Lloyd at the source of the burning smell, poking at whatever it was that he'd probably been attempting to cook before it'd fallen into the fire with a stick.

"Lloyd?" She questions, causing the ninja to glance up with a startle. "Would you like some help with whatever it is you're trying to make?"

"H-hello, Ms. Walker!" He says nervously, tossing the stick aside on impulse. She watches it, worried that it might catch something aflame, but the forest spirit picked it up as soon as it lands. "No, uh, w-we've got a handle on this! Did you need something?"

"Alright, if you're sure… But I'm willing to help with whatever you'd like to cook." She assures him. The green ninja nods fast, obviously too prideful to admit he needed the help, the poor dear. Maybe she'd find a way to get him to 'help' her cook so she could teach him a thing or two about cooking… "Anyway, I was just wondering if we had any tea, or hot chocolate, or something to drink."

"Yeah, we should have something… I'd have to check to see what, though."

"Could you, dear?"

"Sure!" He smiles happily, before turning to Hiroshi and asking. "Could you… keep an eye on the fire for me?"

"I'd never leave a fire unattended." The forest spirit says seriously, and Edna can't help but find the look rather adorable. He even gives the other a mini salute, which draws her eyes to what appears to be a scorpion sitting on top of his head.

 _Oh, dear, I hope that's alright…_ He was forest spirit, so he was probably fine. Probably. She'd have to ask Dan about Hiroshi's previous interactions with the animals that made their home here just to be sure, though.

"Right." Lloyd nods before turning back to Edna. "Come on, why don't we go see what's available?"

Edna hadn't noticed it before, but once Lloyd's sorting through the boxes of tea they have, she can't help but see the bandages wrapped around the boy's hand.

"What happened?" she asks worriedly.

"What?" He says distractedly, glancing up at her for a moment before glancing back down at his hand. "Oh, uh, that?" He laughs a little nervously. "I just tripped and scrapped my palm."

He'd probably slipped up with a knife and cut himself. He was probably even more embarrassed by that, given that they trained with blades all day (or so she surmised from what she'd heard of their training). She'd spare his pride for now and go along with his explanation.

"Did you make sure to clean the wound, dear?" She pries just a little bit. She didn't know the green ninja's father very well, but she was certain he'd appreciate her caring for his son. "We wouldn't want it to end up getting infected."

"Yeah, I made sure to clean the wound, don't worry." He gives her a small, but uncomfortable smile. "So, uh, what kind of tea were you thinking of?"

"Anything is fine." She assures him.

"Alright, how about this one?" He hands her a box that has pictures of mint leaves on it. "It tastes good even without sugar, I think, and we kind of don't have any, so…"

"That's very thoughtful of you." She thanks him, taking the box from him with a smile. "Thank you for helping me, I'm sure you must have a lot on your plate right now."

"No, it's fine… I mean, that's why I'm here." He says, with a touch of bitterness hidden in his tone. "…Uh, Ms. Walker?"

"Edna's fine, dear."

"Right… uh, Edna?" He makes a little face, obviously finding it strange to refer to her by name. "I, uh, I just wanted to say not to worry." He gives her a determined look. "We're going to get Jay back, safe and sound, no matter what."

"…Thank you for saying that." She pulls the startled boy into a hug. "But if things don't go right, I don't want you to feel guilty."

She gives him a slight squeeze before letting go, and his gaze looks steely, determined. Edna had a feeling he'd still feel guilty if things didn't go right despite her words.

"I should probably get back…" He shrugs. "I mean, I wouldn't think a forest spirit would allow a forest fire to happen, but you never know."

"Of course, dear." She watches him go with a heavy heart.

 _Lou is probably starting to wonder if I'm blowing him off._ She reminds herself, hurrying to the fire pit where they usually did their cooking. She pauses when she notes that the singer is already there waiting for her, a kettle of water already on the fire heating.

"Ah, Edna." He smiles in relief when he sees her. "I was starting to worry something had happened to keep you."

"It just took some time to decide what to drink." She shows him the box of tea that Lloyd had given her. "I hope this one is alright."

"It's fine." He says dismissively. "The water is still heating up, though, so would you like to get started?"

She sits down on the log near him and lets her smile fall. Edna tried to be a positive person over all, she didn't like spreading negativity… but sometimes it was nice to get things like this off of her chest.

"So, I mentioned that I was thinking of the past because of Al, earlier." Lou nods, waiting patiently for Edna to gather her thoughts. "…you know, it's funny, but he's actually why I met Ed."

"Oh?"

"Yes… It was before we'd moved to Ninjago." She could remember it like it was yesterday. "Al approached me because of a rumor that had followed my family around for generations. It seemed no matter how much we moved, it'd always find its way into the ears of our neighbors."

"What was the rumor?" Lou asks, brows pinched. He probably knew how devastating a rumor could be, even if he'd never been the subject of one himself, as a rumor could ruin a celebrity's career. "If you don't mind telling me, that is."

"It'd be hard to explain without telling you." Although she did appreciate the option not to. "Al had-, _has_ an interest in anything and everything magical. The rumor was something along those lines. People believed that my family had fae blood in our ancestry… changeling blood, to be more specific."

"Changeling…?" The kettle's whistle interrupts Lou's question, and they take a moment to start their tea steeping before he finishes asking it. "Is a changeling like a shape shifter?"

"That's a good guess, but the truth is… a bit darker. You see, the fair folk would sometimes swap out a human child with their own. Those children would be considered changelings."

"Both of them? Or just the… you called them the fair folk?" At her nod he lets out a small snort. "With a name like that I would have expected they wouldn't be doing something so horrible… are they typically beautiful?"

"They would both be considered changelings, mostly because the human children taken, if they ever returned, would act oddly. Many would say they longed to return back to their home in the hills. And as for their looks, there are actually many kinds of fair folk, and while most at least look like normal humans, a few have been said to be hideous creatures…" She fusses with the tea bag in her cup just so she had something to do with her hands. "So, as I was saying, my family was thought to have the blood of a changeling in our ancestry. A very _specific_ type of changeling's blood. ádh órga droch."

Lou silently mouthed the words she spoke, which she wasn't surprised about. It was rare to find anyone who spoke Gaelic in Ninjago, and she wasn't sure it'd be any more prevalent where he hailed from, either.

"It means 'golden bad luck.' It sounds a little silly, I know, but it got shortened from longer phrases. 'Golden eyes bring bad luck' was shortened to 'golden eyes; bad luck' which was then shortened to 'golden bad luck.'"

"I see…" Lou frowns as he takes in her words. It was easy to guess what kind of rumors would be spread just from those phrases. "So they blamed their poor luck on your family… but, if these changelings were known for their eye color, wouldn't it be obvious that your family weren't one of them?"

"There's no way to know for certain, but they believed one of my ancestors _did_ have golden eyes. On top of that, a big famine happened to the town they were living in… it was only after my ancestor died did things start to turn around, and so the rumor got its start." She takes a small sip of her tea, the minty taste was strong, and a touch bitter. She'd probably let it steep longer than she should have. "Our family, for generations, moved from town to town, trying to escape the rumors that followed us. You wouldn't believe how horrible people can be… how far they'll go when they think they're only acting to protect themselves and those they care about."

The silence stretches between them for a moment, as Edna thinks back. She remembers how her father had come home one day, clutching his bloody shoulder and saying that they had to move. The stress had eventually sent him to an early grave, or that's what her mother had told her. After Edna had gotten a job, her mother had just vanished. Edna never knew whether her parents had been murdered, or not. Sometimes she wondered if the rumors were true, and her mother had left her to find a less hostile home among the hills…

"So Al approached you because of those rumors?" Lou eventually prompts her, breaking her from her reverie.

"He did… and unlike most who approached me about the rumor, he didn't seem off put by it at all. He was so eager, wanting to know anything I could tell him about it, but I told him it was a mistake and that I didn't know what he was talking about." She remembered the disappointed look on Al's face even now. As a teen he'd still had a bit of baby fat on his face, making him appear younger than he was. "He gave me a business card and said that I could find him there if I changed my mind… I thought it was odd at the time, since the card was for a repair shop, but I just assumed that it was a family business and tried to put the interaction out of my mind. I actually considered moving, but then I realized that, as much as my family had moved previously, the whole country probably knew our story and name by now."

"Let me guess," Lou smirks a little, taking a small sip from his own cup. "the card he gave you was for Ed's business?"

"It was…" She can't help but sigh as she thinks back to their meeting. Ed was handsome, and charming, even when he'd dropped his clipboard and accidentally mixed up his own name with his store's while making his introduction. "It'd been a month or two since Al had given me the card, the rumor had already spread to most of the town, and my house's air conditioner had broken down. His shop wasn't my first choice, but his was one of two in town, and the other had turned me away because he didn't want to risk his good fortune."

"Despicable…" Lou sneers.

"Yes, well, I can't say I'm not glad it happened. I may not have met my Eddie otherwise… and, afterword, I can't say I didn't find quite a few things that needed to be repaired in my home." Ed, unlike so many others, didn't believe the rumors, scoffed at them whenever they were brought up no matter who it was. "When he proposed, I was so overjoyed, but… I couldn't bear to burden him with my family's reputation. I told him so when I turned him down. Do you know what he did?"

"What?"

"He comes back to me almost a month later, claims he's spent this whole time learning Japanese, and ask me to marry him and move to Ninjago." Even now the thought makes her heart beat faster. "A new country, a place where we could create our own life without prejudices of the past to keep us down."

"…He must have really loved you." Lou smiles softly, happy for her.

"He gave up everything for me. His budding business, old family friends, the community he'd grown up in… The only thing he had when we moved was each other. Al decided to move out here later, claiming that he wanted to investigate the mythologies and magic here, but I think he wanted to be closer to his brother." Al, despite believing in the rumors, supported their relationship. She couldn't understand the mentality; why he wouldn't oppose them being together if he believed she could cause his brother untold suffering? She had never had the nerve to ask him, in case he'd changed his mind about it, and after they'd moved she'd been able to distance herself from those rumors and believe that they were wrong… for a time. "Is… am I a bad mother, to think that Jay has the changeling blood my family had been known for?"

Lou couldn't hide his surprise at her words.

"I… what would give you that idea?"

"I told you before, death seems to follow him like a good friend." She feels a lump forming in her throat. "He's… not actually my son. He's my grandson. His mother, my daughter, died shortly before we found him in our junkyard. I didn't think much of it at the time. I was devastated about Storm's death, we hadn't been on good terms at the time, and then she was gone… and then Jay is there, looking so much like her. Ed and I considered raising him as our grandson, but we agreed it'd be better for him if he had as normal a childhood as possible, so we raised him as our son." She takes a deep breath to prepare herself. She hadn't talked about this with anyone. "It's almost five years later that Al died while babysitting for us… our house even ending up burning down." Of course, now Al was here; alive. She wasn't sure what to make of that, especially when he still claimed to be dead. "It's another ten years before a friend of his at school kills himself… and then one of his ninja friends ends up dying and now all this has happened. Slowly, everyone around him has been dying…"

"That's… tragic, certainly." Lou says hesitantly. "But that doesn't mean anything."

"Doesn't it?" Her grip on her cup tightens. "Hasn't our children's luck seemed particularly bad? Unnaturally so… I tried to keep this from Jay, but I think on some level he knows. Why else has he been avoiding us?"

"Edna…" Lou's eyes hardens, and he puts a hand on her shoulder, his grip strong and reassuring. "I believe you're over thinking things." When she purses her lips, ready to argue, he gives her shoulder a squeeze and goes on. "It's true that things aren't always easy, but think about what it is our children _do_. They fight villains, face insurmountable odds, entire armies, with just a small group. Honestly, I feel incredibly lucky that they haven't suffered more. No one has lost any limbs, and only one of them died, _briefly_ I might add. Their luck may not be great, I'll admit, but I don't think you have to worry about Jay having any changeling blood."

Edna wanted to thank the other man, but her throat felt like it was closing up as tears sprung up in her eyes. Eventually, after a few calming breaths, she manages to croak out a thank you, which Lou brushes off easily.

* * *

"You're sure it was here?" Sensei Garmadon asks again, eyeing the quicksand critically.

"There's no mistaking it." Nya replies. "I remember that log."

There wasn't anything visible on the surface, no evidence of the nindroid they'd fought being here… nor the Ultra Weapon.

Skylor shifts uncomfortably, her gaze moving to Jay, who was still unconscious and currently leaned up against a tree. Kai was watching over him, his worry was clear, but Skylor didn't know if it was due to her powers or not anymore. Of course, she was certain they were all worried after the last display, giving them all an idea of how much the blue ninja was suffering.

 _I could barely stand feeling that for a couple seconds, I can't imagine how I'd ever cope with it for longer._ And yet, Viperae, who must be feeling the exact same thing can smile as if it's nothing. _He must have suffered through a lot of extremely painful things to be so composed right now._

"Come on." Sensei Garmadon says with a barely contained sigh. "There's no point in staying here any longer."

"I-I really thought he was dead…" Nya says uncertainly. "I'm sorry, Sensei."

Skylor can tell how tired Sensei Garmadon is, worn out by having to be so strong for all the ninja, even though it doesn't show on his face. She'd never considered her ability to read people as intrusive before now, but if it was an aspect of her power she hadn't realized existed, as Viperae had said, that meant she wasn't just really good at reading people like she'd thought. No, she was using her powers to take in other's emotions unconsciously…

"Take this as a lesson." Sensei Garmadon says seriously. "Next time, you'll know better."

"Yes, Sensei." Nya replies with the same seriousness that her Sensei had.

"Hey, guys!" Kai calls urgently. "He's waking up!"

That catches everyone's attention, and they all gather around as Jay groans, shifting as his eyes flutter and raising a hand to his head.

"Jay…?" Kai asks hesitantly, hope tinging his voice (or was she imagining that because of the insight her power was giving her?), and he lays a steadying hand on the other's shoulder.

"Hm~, I'm afraid he's not here right now." Viperae says cruelly, brushing the red ninja's hand off of his shoulder. "But I could take a message for you."

Kai immediately pulls back, a scowl taking the place of his cautiously hopeful look.

"Don't try and pull that 'Jay has no idea what's going on' stuff anymore." He seethes. "He already made it clear that isn't true."

Viperae's eyes seem to dance with cruel amusement (Skylor takes a step back, just in case her powers are picking things up, because she doesn't want to experience that pain again), and he stands up easily, brushing the dirt from his clothes.

"Unfortunately for you, he tired himself out with that little tantrum he threw earlier." Clothing in order, he gives Kai a vicious grin. "He hasn't woken up just yet, so I'm afraid he really has no clue what's going on just yet."

"Does that mean you're going to take this chance to leave our alliance?" Sensei Garmadon asks, cutting off the angry retort that Kai was about to make.

"…No." Viperae says thoughtfully. "It seems you've all wasted my time already, coming here, and since the blue jay was so adamant that we stay, I don't see any point to leaving now." Kai growls at Viperae saying 'we,' but is otherwise silent. Nya looks troubled, and Sensei Garmadon seems conflicted. Viperae puts on an innocent smile. "That's assuming you're willing to continue it?"

He poses it like a question, even though he likely knows they'd rather keep Jay close.

"…We still need someone who knows this island." Sensei Garmadon says in lieu of answering the question posed, but it's enough that Viperae smiles happily.

The air around them all is heavy as they begin to make their way back the way they'd come, back towards the river the others had been following before Nya and Skylor had met up with them.

Skylor hangs back a bit, watches the others as they walk. Nya and Kai were walking close enough that their shoulders brush every now and then, a silent reassurance that the other was there. Sensei Garmadon had taken the lead, shoulders stiff, trying to keep his composure for the sake of everyone else. And there was Viperae, who was also trying to keep his composure, but who chose instead to go for a more casual approach, humming tuneless melodies as he followed along a step behind Sensei Garmadon.

The others must all be worried about what the villain was up to, especially knowing that Cryptor was still out there somewhere with the Ultra Weapon… but Skylor found her mind wandering back to that pain, and the creeping darkness. It was similar to how this island felt, and if she focused, she could swear it was whispering terrible things. Whispers of power, betrayal, of needing to bring things under control.

… _Does he really want this?_

* * *

Wu was still reeling from Misako's death, his head feeling foggy, even as he ran through the trees. He ignores the snags of his clothing, the scratches left on his face, and just moved as fast as he could. His chest is burning from the exertion, his legs complaining at the strain, but he can't stop.

 _If I know my brother,_ he thinks. _he'll have followed the river._

It pained him to admit that he couldn't do this alone. That he wasn't the hero he thought he could be… he never was. He couldn't save his brother and he couldn't save the woman he loved. It pained him that he let his pride get to him, to blind him until reality had so painfully reasserted itself.

He stumbles, too tired to catch himself after tripping, and he hits the ground hard. He doesn't waste any time, he just gets back up and starts forward again. Clouse had to be stopped, and Wu couldn't stop him alone. He had to hurry to find his brother and the ninja, and then, together, they would stop him…

Garmadon is happy with how far they managed to travel before having to make camp. It was probably because they didn't have to take the time to mark any of the trees in the hopes that any missing people would have an easier time finding them, and possibly because they'd traveled this way before without issue and so didn't have to worry about any dangerous flora or terrain.

Of course, the sensei didn't let his guard down, just because of that. Cryptor was still out there, somewhere… and Viperae, well, his motivations for what he does was just even more of a mystery to him.

 _What was it Jay called him?_ Garmadon couldn't help but think back to it, the name had slipped by them all with everything that happened afterwards, but it'd come back to nag at him as they walked. _Hykos?_

Garmadon was rather detail oriented, he'd had to be to put together such complicated plans when he was still a villain. Perhaps that was why the small detail of a different name stuck out to him. And that was why, rather than confront the other on it as soon as he'd had the thought, he'd waited until now, when it was just the two of them awake.

He hoped the other's guard would be lower if the rest of the ninja were seen as harmless, because there was very little chance of them suddenly attacking the other while they were peacefully sleeping. There was also the chance that, due to the late hour, the other might be more liable to slip up.

"Hykos." He says simply, because he figured there was no better way to get a reaction, and he isn't disappointed. Viperae's eyes immediately snap up to his, shock momentarily appearing on his face before he tries to cover it with a smile.

"…Where'd you hear that name?" He tries to question lightly, but they both know he'd already tipped his hand.

"Jay called you that earlier." Viperae doesn't seem surprised by that, so Garmadon can only assume it wasn't the first time Jay had called him by that name.

"The blue jay is just a little confused." Viperae gives a little laugh, waving his hand in the air to complete the effect he was after. "This whole experience has been confusing for him, so it's no surprise he's confused me with a dead man."

"He didn't seem confused at all when he addressed you." Garmadon carefully study's the other's reaction. "He seemed very confident that was your name… and based on your reaction, it is."

"Confidence means nothing. You of all people know how easy it is to fool others with it, a simple lie is the truth so long as you sound confidant." His eyes are incredibly dark, his smile slipping from his face as he allows himself to appear serious for a moment. "And I was merely surprised to hear you knew that name… I mean, I killed that man _long_ before you were ever born, so I didn't think anyone would know it."

"Is that right?" He can't help but raise an eyebrow at the other's assertion.

"Of course." Viperae smiles, obviously thinking this conversation was going the way he wants.

"That's funny… because from what I've heard and seen, it's impossible for you to die, Hykos."

"Don't call me that." The sudden switch from smiles to the low growl would be startling if Garmadon didn't know it all to be an act. Viperae's way of controlling those around him.

"You don't seem much to care about how you address others, Hykos, so I don't see why I should show you the courtesy." Garmadon can't help but smirk at the other, taking a small pleasure from the other's discomfort for a moment… but that triumph is lost when Viperae looks away, a pained look in his eyes that Garmadon doesn't expect.

"I won't refer to you by your other name... but anything else is fine." He relents, not meeting the other's eyes anymore. He's tense, obviously unhappy with having to bow to anyone else's will. Garmadon is silent, surprised and confused, and after a beat of silence Viperae seems to hiss and speak to the air. "Because it's _different_."

 _Jay_. His mind supplies. _He must be 'awake' now._

Before Garmadon can figure out his next step, can push for any more info, or question the other on Jay's wellbeing, there's a rustling in the forest beyond their camp.

They both spring to their feet, ready for any manner of beast to appear, but what steps forward is none other than his little brother, looking haggard and worn.

"Wu?" Garmadon questions incredulously. The last he'd seen his brother he was dead set on heading for the center of the island without interruption. "What are you doing here?"

"…Garmadon." Wu pants, stepping forward on weak legs. "I-… Misako's dead."

" _What_?"

End chapter forty five

* * *

AN: Hello! I'd like to thank everyone who followed, favorited, and especially those who've taken the time to leave a review. I was a little worried about what you all would think of the last chapter, but I'm glad that you all liked it so much! I hope you've enjoyed this one just as much. ^u^

-Kit


	47. Chapter 46

Sensei Wu's sudden appearance had blown everything out of the water. The confusion of waking up to an already awake body (everything just fading in, getting clearer by the second, almost like trying to tune into a radio station), Jay's curiosity over why Hykos would only find mild annoyance at Jay calling him by name yet this twisted knot of aggravation over Sensei Garmadon calling him the same name. All of it was forgotten the moment Sensei Wu said those words.

"…Misako's dead."

" _What?_ " Sensei Garmadon's voice was quiet, breathless, like he'd been punched in the gut. Considering what he'd been told, he might as well have been. "H-how… when?"

Jay had never heard Sensei Garmadon, usually so cool and composed, at such a loss for words. He'd also never seen Sensei Wu looking so haggard (and he'd been literally eaten alive)… and then there was Hykos, whose agitation was like a hot knife against his skin, had never been so easy to read. Really, what had he ended up waking up to? If he knew things were going to be so tense he might have considered staying unconscious for longer.

"I'm so sorry…" Sensei Wu's face twists up in grief as he speaks. "It's all my fault."

"What do you mean?" Sensei Garmadon's voice, no longer a strained whisper, is tight with emotion. "Just what happened?!"

There's a shifting from the sleeping ninja, their sensei's raised voice and tone enough to wake them in this unfamiliar place.

"Wha… did Viperae do somethin'?" Kai mumbles half asleep, struggling to wake fully and taking in their surroundings.

"I didn't do anything." Hykos scoffs, glaring at the master of fire. "That honor belongs to the second born here."

"Sensei Wu…?" Nya gaps as she takes in the state of their sensei. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm… uninjured." The tea loving sensei says slowly, looking guiltier by the second.

" _Wu..._ what happened?" Sensei Garmadon says insistently. "Misako… h-how… how did she die?"

"Wait, what?!" Kai shouts, gaze darting between the two sensei before focusing on Sensei Wu. "Misako can't be dead… right?"

"…She's gone." Sensei Wu doesn't meet any of their eyes, instead focusing on a point off in the distance.

"Why don't we all sit down?" Skylor, who was hanging back from the group, suggests. "You look like you're going to collapse any second now."

"There's no time." Sensei Wu denies. "I-… before she died I promised Misako that we'd stop him. Stop Clouse…"

"Sit." Sensei Garmadon says, voice hard. "We're not going anywhere before morning, and especially not before you explain everything."

There's a long moment of silence while the two sensei stare each other down before Sensei Wu nods and stumbles forward to take a seat near the fire. Skylor puts some more branches on, causing the flames to burn brighter as Sensei Wu began to tell his tale, starting with the ninja all being separated.

 _ **Well, I guess that explains why they were all wandering around in the forest here.**_

"…You're taking the news surprisingly well." Hykos says quietly. He'd chosen instead to lean against a tree on the edge of the fire's light rather than around it like the other's had.

 _ **Am I?**_ Jay hadn't considered it. He'd been devastated when Zane had died almost a year ago, but now that one of his friend's parents had died? He was barely moved… but, well, at the moment it didn't exactly feel real. That might change as Sensei Wu explains what had happened, but for now Jay was just too tired to react much. _**You don't seem to be taking this well.**_

He could still feel Hykos' agitation, which only grew as Sensei Wu continued explaining. Honestly their roles should have been reversed. Hykos was supposed to be the callous, murderous villain who didn't care if anyone died while Jay was supposed to be devastated over the loss of his friend's parent.

"…My plans are now impossible to achieve." He admits bitterly. "I think that's grounds enough for my reaction."

So Misako was a part of his plans? Why? What did Hykos have to gain or lose that involved Misako? She was an archeologist, so maybe it had something to do with some ancient ruins… there _were_ a few related to the Overlord so it wasn't so out there to think that might be the reason.

 _ **Were you looking for some-?**_ Jay's question is cut off by Kai, who starts yelling.

"I can't believe you!" The red ninja is on his feet in seconds. "After everything you said, all the lessons on teamwork you taught us, and you go and do _this?!_ "

"I was foolish-"

"You were selfish!" Kai yells, grabbing a fistful of Sensei Wu's shirt. "When we left Ninjago we promised Lloyd we'd bring his mom back… and because of _you_ that's impossible!"

Nya and Skylor both look to Sensei Garmadon, expecting him to step in, but his own eyes are burning with anger as he watches the exchange. He wasn't going to do anything, not when he was struggling to keep his own anger in check. Indecision hangs heavy in the air between the two women until Kai pulls back a fist and strikes their sensei, who doesn't do anything to protect himself.

"Kai, don't!" Nya yells, scrambling to her feet and pushing her brother back from their tea loving sensei. "We can't afford to argue like this!"

The red ninja, still fuming, begrudgingly backs off, although he doesn't sit back down. Instead he takes to pacing behind the girls, who were sitting on the other side of the fire from Sensei Wu. Skylor glances back at the master of fire, looking torn.

"…Did she say anything before she died?" Sensei Garmadon asks, voice tight. He wasn't looking at his brother anymore, instead staring deep into the fire before him, hands clasped and pressed to his lips as he leans his elbows on his legs. It kind of makes him look like he's praying…

 _Yeah, praying that this is all a dream, probably._ Jay thinks. _I know how that is._

Yet, despite having been there, he doesn't feel the sympathy he thinks he should feel.

"She… she told me Clouse's plans." Sensei Wu admits, slowly, brushing his hand against his quickly bruising cheek. "And she said that she didn't… didn't want this to come between us. For Lloyd's sake."

"What were the plans?" Sensei Garmadon's voice is rough, thick with all the emotion he's trying to maintain a hold on.

"…Garmadon?" Sensei Wu swallows visibly. "Brother-?"

" _Don't._ " He bites out, eyes leaving the fire to direct a glare at the other sensei. "I'll be civil with you, for Lloyd, but do _not_ pretend to be my brother anymore."

"Why…?"

"Don't tell me you've forgotten your own words, _Wu._ " Sensei Garmadon's eyes flicker to Hykos, his expression unreadable. "Your brother died long ago… remember?"

"I-I was upset when I said that… and you were evil." Sensei Wu tries to reason with the other man. "I thought you were lost."

"Yet you still won't call me by name!" Sensei Garmadon stands abruptly, his form towering over the other as he glowers at the other sensei. "It doesn't matter how much time has passed, or how much good I've done, I'll always be the evil 'Lord Garmadon' who killed your dear brother Jun, won't I?"

"Th-that isn't…" Sensei Wu tries to defend against the accusation, but he can't seem to find any words to reply with.

Sensei Garmadon shakes his head, anger and misery both clear in his eyes, and he turns and begins to march deep into the forest.

"Sensei, where are you going?" Kai calls out worriedly.

"I need some time alone."

The camp is silent for a long moment, no one knowing what to say in the wake of Sensei Garmadon's departure. It's Hykos who ends up breaking the heavy atmosphere.

"So… those plans you mentioned?"

* * *

"There!" Echo proclaims proudly. "It is finished."

"Isn't she a beauty?" Ronin slings an arm around the bronze nindroid's shoulders and looks up at his ship with a grin.

"I cannot say I find your ship attractive." Echo responds, giving Ronin a strange look.

"No."

"No…?"

"I know what you're going to ask, and no, I don't find REX attractive."

"But you said-"

"My REX is a piece of art, you dumb toaster." He huffs, removing his arm from the other's shoulder and going to run his hand over the smooth metal of his ship.

"…Then should it not be in a museum?" Echo crosses his arms, as he's often seen the criminal do. "And I am neither dumb nor a toaster."

"I'd never let my girl sit around gathering dust in a museum!"

"Speaking of," Cole pipes up, giving Ronin a flat look. "shouldn't we get going after the last pieces of Zane's soul stone?"

"…right." He sighs. "All aboard, then."

Ronin gets behind the wheel of the ship while the other's all find a place to sit. It was a lot more crowded then the Bounty, even when all the ninja were in the bridge, which Echo was about to point out when Ronin speaks up once more.

"Okay, I've got it set to head for the coast automatically while we sleep, so who's going to be playing GPS when we arrive?"

"We are playing games now?" Echo asks confusedly.

"The _spell_." Ronin rolls his eyes. "Which one of you is going to use the spell? I'll be driving, so I can't."

"Oh, why did you not just say so from the start?"

"…You're lucky I'm in a good mood right now." Ronin sighs before looking over his shoulder at the master of earth. "Cole, since you didn't help rebuild my girl, why don't you do it?"

"Uh, you wouldn't _let_ me help."

"You would have messed it up."

"You don't know that…" Cole grumbles.

"Does that mean you do not intend to use the spell tomorrow?" Echo asks the ghost. If Cole didn't want to do it, he had no qualms about doing it himself, but he was surprised about the other's sudden reluctance.

"No, I'll do it." He assures the younger nindroid.

"Why don't we get some sleep?" Zane gives his brothers a light smile. "It'll still be a while before we arrive, after all, we should spend the time wisely."

REX, for all Ronin's praise of the ship, was not comfortable to sleep in at all.

* * *

Viperae had waited a decent amount of time, or he thinks he has, at least. He hadn't gone after Jun right away, he had wanted to know the details of what had happened to destroy his plans so thoroughly first, and even then he hadn't left right away. He waited until the ninja were half heartedly settling back in to sleep before he made a move to leave.

"Where are you going?" The master of amber, who had insisted she take the next shift for watching over their camp, calls out softly.

"Jun still hasn't come back." He replies breezily. "I thought that, perhaps, you would be concerned about your fellow ninja being out and about in dangerous and unknown territory, but it seems I was mistaken. So, it has fallen to my shoulders to make sure that none of the nocturnal beasts of this land has seen fit to make Jun their dinner… or attempt to, anyway~."

"…I see." Her face was almost impassive. Her abilities giving her an annoying edge for reading him, and allowing her to simply brush off his words rather than take him seriously as he'd intended. "How many grieving individuals have you comforted in your life?"

"Plenty." He says vaguely. He didn't want to admit how many underlings of his had died in service to him, but he'd always made a point to address their deaths and promise the rest that they would be avenged.

"Just… be gentle." She sighs. "I'm sure you've mastered the tact this situation calls for."

Her words were resigned, very close to being sarcastic, and he felt the insult of it straighten his spine.

"Of course." He bites back, glare settling onto his face as he spins on heel and makes to leave, pausing only briefly as he waits for the blue jay to make some snarky comment, but the little bird had fallen uncharacteristically silent since the second born began to get into the details of what had happened. It seemed he had no intention of breaking that just yet, and so Viperae was left to his own devices for the time being.

The anger from the insult at his abilities to comfort someone carry him until he's right before Jun, who had taken a seat leaning against a tree with his face pressed into his intertwined fingers. He hesitates to speak, before he berates himself for the hesitation.

 _You are a warlord who has dealt with far worse than a little conversation. This is nothing._

"J- _ah_ … You know, you never did give me another name to refer to you by." That's how he ends up greeting the other. It gets absolutely no reaction. "…I could just call you Dragon Lord?"

No response yet again, despite the teasing tone he'd used. He'd expected a scoff, a roll of the eyes, maybe even outright disgust at the name. Jun had already proven to be a much more humble man than he'd been when he'd contacted the Overlord.

"I… I'm sorry for you loss?" He could bite his tongue off for its betrayal. That wasn't meant to be a question, it was the standard saying when such a thing happened. Sure, he'd never exactly said those words to anyone before now, but he shouldn't be questioning his own words. "I'm sure she's in a better place now…"

The words were hollow, and Jun must be able to tell because he hadn't moved a muscle. He should have known resorting to words that were _expected_ in this situation, a mere formality, was a pointless endeavor.

 _What can I say?_ All he could think of was what he would have said to any of his underlings… _Well, I suppose that's why I'm here anyway, I might as well say it._

"We could avenge her." He pauses, watching for any movement, and continues on when there is none. "I have a plan, an idea on how to kill the man responsible for this all; I figured you'd want to be a part of it, considering his part in killing your wife."

The seconds drag on and he slowly finds himself floundering. He wasn't sure what to do with someone unresponsive. Had he been bitten by something? That had to be it! He'd been bitten by something that had put him into a comatose state.

Kneeling down he gently grips the other's wrist, gauging his pulse. He's completely still as Viperae does this, but his pulse isn't the sluggish rate that it _should_ be if he'd been bitten by one of the creatures here.

"Sorry…" He says softly, impulsively. "I just wanted to make sure nothing had bitten you. There's a species that lives here that's nocturnal, they typically avoid light, so everyone would be fine if they were by the campfire, but here you are…"

He bites his lip, pushing away a sigh. It was easier to talk about scientific matters, or mystical matters, something he could easily quantify, rather than the guesswork of trying to find the right words to stir the other man from his thoughts.

 _Well, it seems that words have failed me._ It wasn't exactly a surprise to him. No matter how nimble of tongue you were, there was always someone who wouldn't or _couldn't_ accept those words, leaving only action left as an option. _…I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, though._

Moving to sit next to the other man, he awkwardly reaches out and pats him on the back a few times. He doesn't let his hand stay long, it felt like too much of an invasion of personal space.

And with that he had no other ideas.

 _Fuck._ The silence drags on and he isn't sure why he's still sitting here, he isn't wanted, obviously, and there isn't anything he can do to even illicit a response. _This is a lost cause. I should probably just leave._

If he couldn't get Jun on board, he'd have to plan for what little resources he had right now. Well, there _was_ still the Ultra weapon. Between himself working at under half capacity, with the blue jay struggling against him, and a single nindroid, he'd have to be extra cautious in his planning.

"…You're terrible at this." He jumps a little at the sound of Jun's voice, surprised that he'd let himself get so engrossed in his own thoughts that he'd forgotten his surroundings. When he meets his eyes the other has a wane, yet slightly teasing smile. "I thought ancient beings were meant to be good at everything."

"I'm bad at more things than you'd think." The words fall from his mouth without any thought, and he blames his exposure to the near constant stream of thought babble of the blue jay's for that. He didn't normally let others know he was anything but perfect. He _had_ to be perfect, after all, who would follow an imperfect leader?

"Oh?" Now there's interest in the Dragon Lord's eyes and he curses his tongue twice over. "What kind of things?"

 _Of course_ _ **that'd**_ _be what he'd respond to!_ But, he'd lost the only leverage he could have had to persuade this man into joining him. Would there truly be any harm in letting something minor slip, if it'd help to convince him to work with him just this once?

"…I can't remember people's names." It was the easiest, and safest, thing to admit. People probably assumed as much, anyway. "It takes a long time for me to remember most people's names, so I usually just pick a trait of theirs and give them a name based on that because it's easier."

"I…" Confusion settles onto the sensei's face. "But you remembered my name."

"Some people's names just stick." He shrugs. "I suppose you just stuck out enough that I remembered you. You should feel honored, since it took me about two years to remember the name of a man I highly respected."

"…When did you even hear my name?"

He had to pause to think about that, actually. Where _had_ he heard Jun's name?...Oh, right.

"From the first Dragon Lord." He remembers that day, the anger that burned in the man's eyes directed right at him. "'if it wasn't for you, I might have been there to save her; Jun might still have his mother.' Of course, I didn't have a face to put it to until now."

Jun's eyebrows furrow as he thinks over those words.

"My mother… died in childbirth. She had the best care available, I was told. What more could he have expected to do? How were you involved?"

"I existed. That's involvement enough." He'd long stopped searching for logical answers when it came to the anger of others. "And I suppose he hoped his mixed blood would give him some clue as how to help a full blooded dragon."

"…Dragon?" He's surprised to see Jun looks confused.

"Hm? You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Your heritage." He searches the other's expression for recognition, or a sign that he's being messed with, because how could he _not_ know? "…You didn't think you turned into a dragon when the Overlord possessed you because _I'm_ some sort of dragon, did you?" From the others pensive expression, he had thought that. "Your mother was a dragon of origin. The dragon of energy, to be precise. The first Dragon Lord was a Halfling, creating by the dragon of creation using its own blood. You're more dragon than human, but I suppose human blood is more dominant than dragon blood. Having said that, dragon's typically lay eggs, so I suppose going through with a human pregnancy was too much for her body to handle."

"…You say this like it isn't completely unbelievable." Jun pinches the bridge of his nose and represses a sigh. "How am I meant to believe my mother was a _dragon_ of all things?"

"Because the dragon's of origin have the ability to change into human form." He says simply. "It's a peculiar talent, mostly because I haven't observed it in any of their descendants. Although, it was rare for most of the dragons of origin to change form, so perhaps none have felt the need."

"Okay, let's say I am part dragon." He relents. "Why would you possessing me cause me to turn into one?"

"…I can only guess that was the dark fluid's doing."

"But I'd already had some of that in the form of the Great Devourer's venom beforehand."

"A secondhand, weaker version." Viperae puts a hand to his chin as he thinks about it. "Like the dark matter here. I can only assume it resonated with your magical blood, or saw your dormant dragon genes as superior and chose to make _those_ dominant instead."

"That's a lot of conjecture."

"…yes, well, I may be loath to admit it, but one of the things I understand the least is myself."

"About that…" Jun says softly, his face getting hard as he remembers something. "There's enough of us now for there to be a pattern."

"A… pattern?" The other had managed to catch him off guard. He wasn't sure what the other was talking about.

"What is your goal? Your ultimate goal?"

"Uh… to control Ninjago?" Actually, to control the world, but he had to first succeed on a national level before he could even consider a global scale.

"Do you know Clouse's goal?"

"…To control Ninjago." He catches on to what the other was implying. "And you, Jun?"

"To control Ninjago." He says without pause. "If what my-, if what _Wu_ says is true, Clouse is under the influence of the dark matter here, just as I was under the influence of the Great Devourer's venom… Just as you're under the influence of the dark matter's influence now."

Jun is studying his face, and Viperae isn't sure what he's expecting.

"You think it's the dark matter that wants control." He surmises.

"The first thing the Overlord did when he took control was try to spread more of itself." Jun replies. "I think _that_ is its ultimate goal, and this is how it manifests in people."

Irritation ( _fear_ ) bubble up and he grits his teeth against it.

 _ **I think he's right.**_ The blue jay finally breaks his silence. _**When I was… unconscious? When I was under, I was in this world with a lot of dark sand. It tried to put thoughts in my head… and some of them were pretty brutal.**_

"Is this your way of telling me you won't go after that pitiful upstart with me?" He changes the subject.

"…No." Jun says carefully. "Clouse was a horrible person from the beginning. He's tried to kill me before, and I don't doubt he'd have hurt my family without the influence of the dark matter."

"Good~!" He sing songs, quickly getting to his feet now that he has the answer he wants.

"Hykos." Jun says seriously, causing him to stop in his place. "I know it's hard, but if you fight the darkness infecting you then I'm certain we can help you. I'm living proof that it's possible. You… you're not lost. Not yet."

Viperae couldn't help but laugh at that, turning to look at the other man over his shoulder, his smile tight at the edges even as his reply falls easily from his lips.

"You aren't proof of anything, Jun… There was always a light in you that the darkness couldn't touch."

And with that he leaves.

End chapter forty six

* * *

AN: Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, and left a review for this story so far! ^u^

This is the longest story I've written so far, chapter-wise. You guys can thank Lilly Westella for being a part of the reason for that, as she helped me to keep adding on ideas to this and evolving it, which resulted in it being much longer than I'd expected (around the thirty chapter mark I kept thinking 'this is it, we're approaching the end,' yet there's always something more that needs to happen).

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

-Kit


	48. Chapter 47

"We should have brought _foooood_ …" Cole groans.

"We did bring food." Zane replies.

"Granola bars do not count as food." The ghost huffs, tossing aside a wrapper.

"Hey, show some respect for my girl." Ronin snaps. "I don't go into your stupid ship and throw trash everywhere."

"Sorry." The master of earth doesn't sound sorry at all, but he does pick the wrapper back up.

Echo shifts in his seat, glancing out the window to the ocean that seemed to spread for miles now. He was getting more worried the farther out from shore they got. At first he'd been eagerly searching for any sign of a ship that could have had his brother's final soul stone shard, but no ships had appeared and they were getting past the point that any ship would go out. If the shard fell to the bottom of the ocean… if it had sunk to depths that no one had managed to reach…

 _No._ He shakes his head. _I will not give up hope._

They had come too far for him to give up. Even if his brother's soul stone shard was in the water, it could be in an area shallow enough for them to safely retrieve it.

"-cho…" A burst of static, along with a very familiar voice, breaks him from his thoughts. He quickly pulls the borrowed phone from his pocket and looks at it hopefully.

"Pixal?" He asks.

"Echo… can you hear me?"

"Yes! I can!" He smiles brightly when her face appears on the phone's screen. "It is good to see you again."

"It is good to see you, too, Echo." She smiles warmly as she returns his greeting, but it fades shortly after. "I am not sure why you are so close to the Dark Island, but I believe your assistance is needed."

"What do you mean?" Cole speaks up, leaning over so he can look at the screen as well. "What's going on over there?"

"We encountered a storm when we arrived. Kai, Skylor, and Nya where thrown from the ship into the forest. Sensei Garmadon left in search of them… and I believe Sensei Wu is not in his right mind. He left sometime yesterday, and I have not seen him since."

"So much for an easy mission." Cole huffs. "And so much for trying to avoid all this water…"

"We will be there soon, Pixal." Zane assures her from his position. "Just send us your coordinates."

"Sending now." A message appears on the screen with the information.

"Does my opinion about this little detour matter?" Ronin scoffs.

"We cannot ignore a request for help." Echo meets the criminal's even stare with determination.

"Yeah, yeah, your prime directive or whatever." He rolls his eyes, but gestures to the GPS. "Just plug it in."

Echo hesitates, because just where and how was he supposed to do that? Which Ronin apparently didn't have the patience for, because he takes the phone from Echo and plugs it in himself with a small huff. The bronze nindroid's annoyance at the criminal is short lived because soon Pixal's image appears on REX's window up in the corner, and she seems pensive.

"Is everything alright?"

"...When we were originally split up, I tried to use the ninja's phones as a way of tracking them. It did not work, unfortunately. The signals were too weak and intermittent for my systems to pinpoint." She pauses, brows furrowing. "Despite my shortcomings, I kept tracking their phones in the hopes that I might be able to establish a pattern of movement based on how long it took for the signal to reach my systems."

"So… does that mean you have an idea where they are?" Cole asked uncertainly.

"No. All I know is that they are getting closer, and a general direction they are coming from. Nothing exact." Pixal shakes her head. "What worries me, though, is the number of signals I am picking up."

"Let me guess, too few because one of them broke their phone?" Ronin scoffs.

"Too many, actually." Several still images, pictures of the ninja that Echo recognizes from his brother's contact list, appear next to Pixal. "One of you would not happen to have Jay's phone, would you?"

"…He has Jay's phone?" The ghost groans. "Of course he does. How else did he expect us to contact him if we changed our minds? Telepathy? Ugh, if we'd realized this sooner we could have _tracked_ him or…"

Echo wasn't sure the other's noticed, but Ronin appeared to be quietly laughing at them.

"More importantly," Zane cuts off the master of earth, giving him a sympathetic look. "it seems that Viperae is also on the Dark Island at the moment."

Well, that killed whatever amusement that the criminal found about this situation.

"That is a likely scenario." Pixal agrees grimly. "The signals from his phone are coming from the same general direction as the others. I do not know if they have crossed paths yet, or whether Viperae is planning to ambush them at some point or not, or if the two groups are simply unaware of one another, and I have no way of warning them. The signals that come in are too brief and unpredictable for any communication."

"You know," Ronin says a tad thoughtfully. "if the signal is so bad down there, how is it your able to send us a clear signal?"

"I believe the trees may be interfering." She replies without hesitation. "The Bounty is on the river's edge, so there are few trees that could get in the way of the signal, whereas the ninja are somewhere in the middle of the forest."

"Thank you for warning us, Pixal." Zane says seriously. "We will make sure to remain vigilant while we search for the others."

"Yeah, about that. REX isn't exactly a passenger ship, as I'm sure you can tell." Ronin turns in his seat to eye the two ninja in the back. "We're going to have to drop off some people before we pick up anyone else, because I am _not_ dealing with a ship crammed full of you ninja."

"I get what you mean." Cole says, shifting where he was sitting against the back wall of the ship. REX only had two seats, and Ronin had claimed the driver's seat for himself while Cole and Echo had taken turns sitting in the passenger's seat while they used the spell to track down soul stones. "Unfortunately, with Viperae out there, I'd rather not risk going in with anything less than our all."

"Of course not." Ronin scoffs.

"If you really do not want to face Viperae again," Zane says evenly. "then we can drop you off at the Bounty before we go to pick up the others."

"And trust you lot to take care of my baby? I don't think so."

"Then it's settled." Cole shrugs. "We're all going."

That seems like the end of the conversation, as far as Echo can tell at least, but he finds he doesn't want Pixal to go just yet. He hadn't been able to talk to her at all while they were away, and they'd likely not get another chance to talk until after they'd gotten their friend's back to the ship. Echo was not sure how long that would take... so he quickly searched for something to talk about that would be acceptable.

"Oh! Pixal?" He can't help the small exclamation when he realizes the perfect topic. "I am sure you will be happy to hear that Cyrus Borg has woken up."

"He has?" That catches her attention instantly, and he nods almost eagerly. "You are right, I am happy to hear that. Do you mind me asking what happened?"

"Not at all!" Echo happily gets to explaining what had happened while Pixal and the others were gone. Of course, this led to more questions, because the others had no idea about the group that had been holding Alphonse captive for so long, nor their shift to staying within Hiroshi's borders. Echo was well aware that explaining it now meant having to reiterate it later when they found the others…

He still told Pixal every detail he could in the time they had anyway.

* * *

Skylor didn't need her powers to feel the tension in the group, she was certain of that. Anyone with eyes could see it. Even so, she found herself hanging back. She wanted to observe the others, to try and puzzle out their thoughts, but she didn't want to use her power without meaning to. It was a rather selfish desire of hers, to test herself and see if she had any ability to read others without her powers.

"Skylor?" Kai says softly, dropping back to walk next to her. She doesn't answer, but she does meet his eyes so that he knows he has her attention. "Are you feeling alright? You've been kind of distant for a while now."

"I'm fine." She feels touched at his concern, even as guilt wells up. "You should be worrying about your sensei right now."

"Someone smart once told me 'you don't have to face things alone.' I think you should take her advice." His lips quirk up into a smile as he says that, his eyes so soft, and Skylor thinks her face might be a bit warm right now. "I don't care if you think it isn't important, if it's bothering you, then it's important to me."

"Kai…" Her face is _definitely_ warm now, even as a grateful smile takes hold. "Thank you."

His own smile brightens and he's about to say something more when the sound of a ship overhead catches all of their attention.

"…Did Pixal manage to fix the Bounty?" Sensei Wu questions.

"Pixal can do a lot," Nya says distractedly. "but she wouldn't be able to fix the Bounty on her own."

As if the thought strikes them both at once, the two siblings climb up into the trees to get a better look at the ship they can hear.

"It's Ronin!" The master of water calls down. "I recognize his ship!"

"Can you get his attention?" Sensei Wu calls back.

"I have a mirror that might-!" Nya cuts herself off as a _fwoosh_ sounds out and the temperature jumps up.

 _Kai._ Skylor can't help but chuckle. _I suppose a huge jet of fire would get anyone's attention._

The sound gets louder and the trees begin to get rustled by REX's jets. Knowing they had their attention, the two siblings descend from the trees. A rope drops down and, to all of their surprise, Echo, Zane, and Cole drop down.

"Hello!" Echo says cheerfully as soon as they've all landed, followed shortly by Cole saying.

"Viperae… So Pixal was right."

"You do not appear to be fighting." Zane says, eying the group critically. "Did you form a truce?"

Skylor had expected a response from the villain, who was usually so chatty, but one glance at him showed he appeared to be studying the master of ice with furrowed brows.

"Sharp as ever, Zane." Sensei Wu praises the titanium nindroid with a wane smile.

"Are you alright, Sensei?" Cole questions. "You don't look so good."

"A… a lot has happened since we last saw each other. Unfortunately, we do not have the luxury of taking the time to talk it over." Sensei Wu says gravely. "Ninjago is in danger, and we must all work together to stop this villain before he can do any lasting damage."

"Are you sure you can't stop him alone, _Wu_?" Sensei Garmadon's words have a bite to them that surprises the newly arrived ninja.

A remorseful expression crosses Sensei Wu's face.

"Uh, n-not to interrupt anything," Cole says uncertainly. "but if Viperae's not the threat, then who is?"

"Clouse." Sensei Garmadon says simply, yet he manages to fill that one name with poison that leaves his thoughts of the other clear.

"I thought he was gone?"

"As I said before, we do not have the luxury of discussing all that has happened." Sensei Wu cuts in, glancing at his brother with a sad look which goes ignored before he turns back to the ninja. "Even now he is piling up dark matter around the temple of light in an attempt to weaken its power. Once he's done that, then the two islands will merge into one land mass, allowing darkness to spread across both lands."

The three new arrivals all share a look, surprise clear even as determination takes hold.

"We cannot allow that to happen!" Echo says, to the agreement of the others.

"Good, then we can use your ship to get to the temple of light faster."

"Uh, about that…" Cole glances up, although the ship was barely visible through the treetops. "I'm not sure there'd be enough space for all of us."

Nya glances around at everyone gathered, and nods.

"Yeah, REX was designed with two people in mind."

"We'll have to make multiple trips." Zane glances over the group. "Who should go first?"

"I'm going." Sensei Garmadon's voice gave no room for argument.

"As am I." Sensei Wu's tone is heavy, filled with regret, anger, and sorrow.

"I can't just stand around here doing nothing." Kai says next.

"I believe the water nymph would be the best choice to round out the first group." Viperae finally speaks up.

"What?" Nya says, shocked at the sudden announcement. Skylor didn't blame her for the surprise, the villain had mostly ignored her since their clash before, so for him to be vouching for her to go was rather odd.

"Just what are you planning?" Kai asks suspiciously.

"Clouse is a ghost," Viperae gives the red ninja a look as if it's obvious. "it would be a foolish move _not_ to send a master of water to fight him from the start."

"He's right." Sensei Garmadon says seriously, before turning to Nya. "Your assistance would be invaluable in this fight."

"Okay… I'll go."

"We could probably squeeze one more person onboard." Cole guesses. "I could _maybe_ join the first group if I used my intangibility…"

"The more people we have fighting him the better." Sensei Wu assures the ghost.

"Right." The master of earth nods, not appearing entirely comfortable with the idea, but resigned to it. "So I'll go. Who else?"

"I'm surprised you're not insisting on going, Hykos." Sensei Garmadon says to Viperae.

"Sorry, Jun, but I'm not a fan of crowded quarters." Viperae smiles with fake innocence. "I'll wait until there are less people."

 _Since when were they on a first name basis?_ Skylor can't help her surprise. She wasn't the only one, either, as she notices Sensei Wu glancing between the two with a worried look of his own.

"I will go." Echo fills the short silence that had overtaken the group. "I was made to protect those who cannot protect themselves. I cannot stand by while all of Ninjago is in danger."

"Alright, let's go." Kai says eagerly, turning briefly to Skylor and giving her one of his 'charming' smiles (which actually was a little cute but she wasn't going to tell him that). "Make sure _he_ doesn't try anything funny."

"Of course." She didn't need to ask who Kai was talking about, as it was rather obvious. "Make sure no one takes any stupid risks without us to watch your backs."

"I never take any stupid risks." He says cockily. "But I'll try to keep the others from doing anything risky."

" _Sure_ you will." Nya sighs, shoving her brother towards the rope.

Skylor has to stifle a laugh at the master of fire quietly complaining to his sister that she had ruined his awesome exit, which only got eye rolls and more sighs from the master of water.

It was only once they'd left that Skylor realized that it was only her and Zane left alone with Viperae.

* * *

Lloyd tries to fight down his nervousness as he drove. Hiroshi had promised them he'd keep the people they brought him safe, and Lloyd believed that the forest spirit meant that. That didn't mean he'd be successful, however, as they didn't know the size of the cult or what kind of weapons they'd use.

 _Even if Hiroshi could trap them in a loop while the others got away, what if they brought flame throwers?_ He was tempted to turn back at the thought. _He hasn't reported anyone suspicious, though, so there's no reason to think they know where we took everyone._

Still, it was risky leaving only one person to protect everyone in Hiroshi's labyrinth, even if that person was the forest themselves. Although, as far as the others were concerned, that was already the case. The mark on Lloyd's hand would have meant he either couldn't effectively fight any cult members who showed up, or he'd likely die trying.

 _They wouldn't leave me behind if they thought that was truly a risk._ Lloyd thinks, steeling his nerves.

Everything and everyone would be fine without him. He was sure of that. Mostly. But that was more than he could say for his mom, who was on a known to be dangerous island, with just her crew of archeologists to help her. And given that the other's hadn't yet returned, Lloyd could only figure they'd run into trouble.

They might not be happy with him, and he might be risking his life, but he was going to the Dark Island.

* * *

The air was heavy as the sounds of Ronin's ship faded into the distance. Zane was studying Viperae, the bruise-like marks on his skin, the way the other's hands appeared to be shaking despite his attempts to hide it… and the curious way the other appeared to be studying him, in turn.

"You… you're different." Viperae says finally. "You're not actually a Gollum, are you?"

"I am fully autonomous, if that is what you are asking." He replies neutrally.

"No, I meant _this_." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small, jagged, cyan stone that was softly glowing. "It can be hard to tell with so little of it, but now that you're here it's obvious this belongs to you."

"…Where did you get that?" Zane tenses, eyeing the stone in the other's hand. Had Viperae tracked it down in order to hold it over his head as a means of forcing him to join him? No, he'd implied that he had no idea it belonged to the master of ice.

"The little blue jay had it, actually." Viperae hums thoughtfully. "I suppose it got dragged along after you blew up the Overlord."

"You mean when your own soul sought out its other pieces?" Zane had to clarify. It was a little hard for the nindroid to wrap his head around the thought that a piece of his soul had ended up with Jay.

"Exactly." Viperae hums, looking the other up and down thoughtfully. "Although I must say it is a surprise to meet you again, even if you don't seem to remember."

"I definitely remember the Overlord." The white ninja assures the other. "As well as everything that led up to our final battle."

Or what _should_ have been their final battle.

"Not that~!" Viperae laughs. "I meant much longer ago than that… But I suppose it doesn't matter. I know what caused you, at least, to vanish."

"Vanish…" Something about those words seemed to remind him of something. The memory just on the edge of his consciousness.

"Yes. You and that little thief just up and vanished one day!" Viperae shrugs. "Of course, you were my enemy, so it wasn't like I could casually ask where you'd gone…"

It was surreal to hear someone else mention the thief. After that first time bringing it up to Cole, he hadn't talked to the others about what he saw when he lost control of his powers. And they'd _both_ vanished around the same time?

His chest throbs with pain, he can hear Skylor's concerned voice as the world around him seems to shift, and then…

" _So we'll just vanish?" The thief asks uncertainly. "That's your plan?"_

" _Lord Garmadon and the Overlord are only interested in Ninjago." The hunter assures him. "And even if either one of them chose to expand their reign, Mythland is far enough away that I am sure it would not be their first choice."_

 _The thief nods, looking down at the bag he was clutching._

" _We've barely made any progress with you teaching me to read… how am I supposed to learn an entirely different language?"_

 _That was due to the thief's insistence that none of the others know he was learning, leaving them very little time to study, but the hunter didn't say that. Instead he puts a hand on the other's shoulder and gives it a light squeeze._

" _This is your chance to be_ _ **more**_ _than just a thief." He gives the other an earnest smile. "I know you can do it."_

 _The other shifts, lifting a hand to his hood, and the hunter expects him to draw it down to hide his embarrassment like usual. Instead he pushes it back, revealing his mousy brown hair, and looks up at the hunter seriously._

" _I… I trust you." The weight of those words is not lost on the hunter. "Are you sure you can't come with me now?"_

" _I have to make sure my brother will be okay." He replies sadly. "But I'll be out there as soon as I can."_

" _Just be careful, alright?" The thief sighs. "And, here, for your protection."_

 _The thief holds out his dagger, the one thing of his meager possessions that he actually seemed to bear any attachment to, out for the hunter to take._

" _Thank you." He takes the blade in his hands carefully, feeling its steadying weight and the lingering warmth from the other in the metal._

" _I expect it back, though." The thief says, face turning a little red. "So you'd better make sure to return it to me. And don't you dare mail it, either, I won't accept this dagger back from anyone but you!"_

" _Of course." He smiles tenderly. "I promise to return it with my own two hands."_

"… _Good." The thief says softly. "I suppose this is goodbye, then."_

" _For now." The hunter agrees. "If you don't go you'll miss the boat."_

 _The thief glances back, then down at the bag that had what little he owned in it, along with the books that the hunter had given him in order to help him learn as much as possible before he'd arrived in Mythland and after. It'd likely be a few months before they saw each other again, maybe even a year…_

 _The thief steps closer, grabs a handful of his collar, and pulls him down into a kiss. It's short, the other quickly backing away, face red, but it feels like it leaves a phantom image in its wake and the hunter feels his own face turn red._

" _Stay safe." The thief says, finally pulling his hood back up to cover his face. "Who knows what they'll do if they catch you."_

 _It was a sobering reminder of what brought them here in the first place. His vision of the future, of their teammates and leader's betrayal of the thief, and his subsequent death because of it. He didn't want to think the others could do such a thing… but he'd rarely had visions with such startling clarity, and they always came to fruition when he did. The thief had always been a point of contention in the group, none of the others ever trusted him, and he never seemed to trust any of the others. They knew his stance on the thief, that he was as much a member of the group as any other, so he knew he would never have had a hand in that future._

 _So here they were, attempting to change the future he saw._

" _I won't die." He assures the thief one last time. "I have to return your dagger, remember?"_

 _The thief huffs, but he can't hide his smile from the hunter, he knew him too well._

" _Hey, we're about to leave port!" One of the shipmen calls out._

" _Coming!" The thief calls back, spares the hunter one last look, his mismatched eyes glinting with worry, and then hurries down to the boat._

 _The hunter doesn't stay to watch the ship leave, he didn't want to waste a second of his time when it could be used to shorten how long he had to wait to see the other again._

 _He doesn't expect to run into Lord Bai Garmadon nearly an hour later on an open stretch of road._

" _Zane." The Lord says with a grim smile. "There you are. I had started to worry that something had happened to you."_

" _No…" He shakes his head. "I just saw something interesting this morning and I ended up following it quite a distance."_

" _Is that so?" The other says disbelievingly. "You wouldn't happen to have seen where that thief has run off too, did you?"_

" _He was not there when I got up." He lies. "I suspect he went off to find someplace else to sleep for the night."_

 _Bai Garmadon watches him for a moment, then smiles warmly._

" _I see… With both of you missing, I had started to think of the worst, but it seems I was mistaken." He walks up and pats the hunter on the shoulder. He does his best to remain relaxed under the Lord's touch. "I thought maybe you had both decided to betray me."_

" _Neither of us would do such a thing." He tries to assure the other man. "We've done nothing but help fight those who threaten Ninjago."_

" _Yes, well, with you having reconciled with your half-brother, you've got ties fairly high up." Lord Garmadon's face darkens. "One might even say you were planning to instill your own ruler, one that you could control."_

" _I, t-that is ridiculous!" He hadn't expected this sudden line of questioning._

" _Is it?"_

" _Of course! My brother may be of higher standing than I, but he is by no means in a high enough position to take over should you fall."_

" _You've put some thought into it, then."_

" _You… you're twisting my words." He was starting to feel sick, he squirmed to get out from under the other's hand._

" _Why don't we stop playing games, then?" His grip only gets tighter, and before the hunter knows it, a hand is buried in his chest. It isn't like anything he's ever felt before, and it doesn't hurt as if he'd been stabbed, but something deep within his chest feels like it's being squeezed. "We both know where your true allegiance lies… and now that the pathetic little street rat has decided to run, you're a liability."_

" _Wh-wh… I… Don't…" The other pulls and the world begins to blur and pain invades his every sense._

" _At least I can test this spell before I use it to destroy my nemesis, so you'll have had some worth." Another pull and then there's a sharp moment of clarity, there's something glowing a soft cyan in the Lord's hand. "I'll even make sure your dear brother gets your remains so he can give you a proper funeral."_

 _Then there's the flash of a blade and-_

End chapter forty seven

* * *

AN: Aw, geez, I guess I should start this off with an apology for missing the usual upload. n My head has been all over the place today (as it isn't midnight JUST yet, so it's still technically Monday) and I keep thinking tomorrow is Wednesday when it's not. Anyway, thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed my story so far! I'll do my best not to miss another update in the future!

-Kit


	49. Chapter 48

"I wouldn't do that." Skylor freezes at Viperae's words, hand hanging in the air in front of the master of ice's fallen form. "Not unless you want to share in his sorry state, that is."

Skylor had no idea what was going on with Zane, why he had seized up and then just collapsed, nor why ice was now creeping along the ground from his position. She might have taken the villain's words for mere taunting if she hadn't learned firsthand that her powers were not quite as gone as she thought they were.

 _If I can't touch him, how do I help him?_ Skylor worries. She glances over at Viperae, who was eyeing Zane on the ground. _And what if Viperae tries something?_

As if spurred on by her thoughts, Viperae steps towards the fallen nindroid. She steps forward so she's between the villain and the white ninja, a determined look her eyes.

"I was only going to put his soul stone back." He raises an eyebrow, looking unimpressed. "Unless you think he'd be better off without it?"

She doesn't take her eyes off the villain, knowing better than to underestimate him. One glance back would be all the advantage he'd need to get the drop on her.

"I'm not letting you near him like this."

"Funny… I don't know how you intend to stop me when you can't even touch me." The villain chuckles.

Skylor feels the blood drain from her face as she realizes the full extent of their mistake. She couldn't touch Viperae without being debilitated by the pain that the other was feeling, and she didn't know what would happen if she tried to touch Zane. He'd appeared to be in pain before his collapse, so it was likely that she'd end up debilitated no matter what… He'd played his hand so well, standing back and letting the ninja leave their most vulnerable members behind with him.

Seeing her doubt, the villain steps forward, forcing her to back up. He smirks and lightly says.

"We still have a truce, remember?"

"So I'm supposed to believe you don't have any plans to attack either of us?" She didn't believe him. Not in the slightest. Still, she backed up when he stepped forward again, feeling a bite of frost nipping at her heels as she did.

"You can believe whatever you want to." Viperae says easily, stepping forward again, finally forcing her to step aside or deal with whatever consequences would befall her should she brush against Zane right now. "I can only assure you I have no intentions of hurting either of you at the moment."

 _I need a weapon._ She thinks urgently. _But he'll notice me looking for one if I do it now…_

An idea hits her, then. It'd be risky… but it was their only option.

She doesn't say anything, just steps back and eyes the villain wearily. He watches her for a moment before kneeling to examine the white ninja. She waits until she's certain he isn't watching her, and then quickly scans the area for something she can use against him.

There weren't any fallen branches laying around, they'd gathered them all for their fire pit…

Viperae lets out an annoyed sigh, which draws Skylors eyes back to him, her heart beginning to pound in her chest.

"You're right…" He's looking down at one of his hands, which are still trembling. He wasn't talking to her, so she can only assume he was conversing with Jay. Good. Maybe he knew she needed someone to keep the villain's attention while she got a weapon.

Stepping back lightly, she moves back where Viperae can't see her out of his peripherals. Looking around more freely, she feels the pressure of time on her back. If she took too long Viperae would do whatever it is he was planning, assuming he hadn't had the chance to weave some sort of spell already.

Glancing at the fire pit, she laments that none of the remaining pieces burning were big enough to use.

"…Calm down." Viperae sighs, and she glances over again. Still facing away from her. "I suppose there's little else to do."

He stands up, over the fallen nindroid, and raises a hand. Skylor rushes forward, because powers be damned she was not standing by while Viperae kills someone right in front of her. She grabs his arm, pain and this horrible, creeping darkness fill her mind. She tries to grit her teeth, tries to do something, but it's too much and everything turns dark.

* * *

Cole shifts awkwardly, trying not to think too hard about the fact that he was currently standing inside other people. Intangibility was pretty useful, he'd admit, but it wasn't like he'd expected it to be. When moving he didn't think about it too much, it was kind of like swimming, only he was the water instead… of course, that was only when he was _moving._ When he stood still in something, which happened often enough earlier on in his new ghostly existence, he could feel the object. It was like running your hands over something and feeling every detail, only it was your kidneys feeling the corner of the cold, granite counter instead. This… this had led to Cole's aversion to being intangible all the time. It was why, no matter how draining it was, he'd done his best to stay a solid mass instead (although he couldn't do anything about it when sleeping, so he'd just gotten used to waking up on top of his blanket instead of under it). So, the last thing Cole wanted to know was what the inside of a person felt like.

And now he was stuck on a tiny ship, unable to move enough so that he wasn't phasing through _somebody._

"Cole, could you move a bit?" Nya gives him an apologetic smile, wrapping their arms around her torso. "You're making me shiver."

So he steps to the side a bit, more towards Kai, who was like standing in a living furnace. A living… wet… squishy furnace.

 _Ah, don't think about it!_ Cole bites the inside of his cheek and wishes he had something to snack on instead. _Please let this ride be over soon…_

"Alright, I think I can see the temple of light." Ronin announces suddenly.

"You are not going to take us closer?" Echo asks curiously. "With as loud as your ship is, I do not think we will have the element of surprise even if we do circle around him."

"This isn't a matter of stealth." Ronin scoffs. "This is a matter of having just gotten my baby back. I'm not going to risk her again so soon."

Cole wants to scoff at that, but it was even weirder talking while standing inside somebody, even if he was taller than most of the other ninja. Kai probably had a similar thought, since he doesn't speak up either, which is unlike him.

"I take it you do not plan to help us fight, even after picking up the others?" Echo queries.

"Don't try to guilt trip me into helping you." Ronin scoffs. "You've got that demon assisting you, so I doubt there's anything I could do that would help."

"That isn't true." Nya pipes up. "The Bounty got damaged when the storm hit us. You could go there and get started on the repairs. Jay has a lot of scrap metal, wires, and other useful stuff stored, so you shouldn't have any issue with that."

"…Actually," Sensei Wu speaks up hesitantly. "I threw all of that overboard."

Cole winces in sympathy, both for Jay and for the fact that he knows Wu is going to be dealing with Jay's grudge over that for a _while_. As cheery as he was, he really knew how to hold a grudge… But, well, Cole knew how important Jay's inventions and whatnot were to him, it was obvious to anyone who knew him before he'd become all Nya-crazy. From that perspective, he understood why Jay would be so upset.

Seeing Nya's brows furrow and her pursed lips, it's obvious that the master of water understands that as well. Heck, since she also liked to invent things (more cool cars than Jay's random inventions, but inventions nonetheless) she probably understood Jay's feelings on the matter better than the master of earth.

"Well, in that case…" She says slowly, before entering some information into her bracelet. "My bracelet can't communicate over such a long distance without any towers, but you might be able to boost the signal with REX. I've set it up to send some supplies, once you're ready, so hopefully it'll be enough."

She hands the criminal her bracelet awkwardly, having to stretch a bit to reach past Echo. Ronin doesn't answer at first, but eventually he sighs and says.

"Fine, but you owe me."

"Oh, uh, Ronin?" Echo pulls out his the soul stone and the paper with the spell they'd been using. "Since you will not be fighting, could you keep this safe?"

"Yeah, _fine_." He huffs, roughly grabbing the stone and shoving it into his pocket. "Is there anything _else_ you ninja need me to keep an eye on?"

"I do not think there is." Echo replies innocently.

Cole was certain that, had Echo not been right behind his seat and out of view, he'd have leveled the bronze nindroid with an unamused stare. As it was, he'd just rolled his eyes.

The ship drops, swerving to the left, and Cole sees a projectile flying past them.

"Looks like this is your stop!" Ronin yells back at them, swerving the ship to dodge another projectile and blasting a third.

Cole's the first to move, heading for the exit and yelling back at the others.

"Use airjitzu to break your fall!"

He doesn't have time to be relieved to finally be out of those close quarters, because he can see an army of shadow warriors waiting for them on the ground. He can see Clouse casting spells, now focused on trying to hit the falling ninja rather than the ship. A bright fireball heads in the magician's direction, which is blocked by some sort of magic shield.

That's all Cole can see before the ground is closing in on him and he's forced to use Airjitzu to soften his landing. As soon as he's down, though, the shadow warriors hone in on him, and he doesn't have any time to worry about whether the other's got down safely or not.

* * *

Wu carefully gets up from the passenger seat and regards his brother, who was standing at the exit of the ship, obviously looking for a way down that wouldn't end in his demise. Echo, also, appeared to have a similar dilemma, as he didn't know airjitzu like the ninja did.

"I can get us down there." He says loudly, getting both of their attention.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Garmadon says urgently, trying and failing to hide the seething tone underneath his words.

He doesn't bother trying to say anything else to his brother. Now was not the time, and he is certain any attempts would end with his brother throwing his own words of hesitation back in his face. Instead he moves towards the exit, nudging Echo out of the way so he'd have room, and then summons his dragon.

The three of them waste no time hopping onboard the beast, barely giving it enough time to dodge another projectile. As they fly over the battlefield he can already see his ninja fighting the shadow warriors that Clouse had summoned. Finally they land, only for more shadow warriors to attack them.

"Backs together!" Wu calls out and Echo immediately complies, but his brother doesn't. As Wu's fighting off the shadows he catches glimpses of his brother fighting through the shadow warriors with his art of the silent fist technique, allowing him to bypass them easily. "Garmadon! Don't try to fight Clouse on your own!"

His voice is lost to the din of the battle, though, or unheeded by his brother. Whatever the case may be, Garmadon heads off to face Clouse alone, soon disappearing into the crowd of shadow warriors.

* * *

"Foolish girl…" Hykos sighs, eyeing Skylor on the ground.

 _ **Is she okay?**_ Jay asks worriedly. _**What's even going on?**_

Jay had argued against Viperae messing with Zane earlier, mostly because they both knew their trembling hands wouldn't be able to handle any delicate machinery or wires. He wasn't going to let the other do any damage to the nindroid, intentional or otherwise.

"I told you that little stone you're so fond of didn't belong to you." Hykos raises his hand once again, puts his fingers to his mouth and lets out a piercing whistle. "It's a piece of this one's soul. Without it his soul will, essentially, bleed out until he dies."

 _ **What?!**_

"How many times must I tell you to calm down?" Hykos huffs. "He's obviously been gathering them up, as his soul's song is much stronger than when I first encountered him…"

 _ **Soul's… song?**_ Jay's head was reeling from the panic he was feeling already, he wasn't sure what the other meant.

"It isn't important." Hykos waves off. "If he can complete his soul stone before he runs out of energy, then he'll be fine."

 _ **And… the snowflake is a part of that?**_ Guilt follows that thought. If it'd been with Jay all this time, then did that mean he was keeping it from Zane and preventing him from fixing himself?

"Yes, it is." There's a rustling among the trees, and soon after a very badly beaten Cryptor steps out. "Ah, I was wondering when you'd arrive."

"M…My L-l-lord." He stutters out, static crackling in his voice.

Jay can't help but wonder what happened to him. He was missing an eye, there was some sort of gunk clinging to his legs… he looked like he'd gone through hell.

"How are your fine motor skills?" Hykos asks.

"Mo-tor… skills…. op-op-operational."

"Is it just your speech that's been affected?"

"Pros _sssss_ sessing speed… h-has been… redu-uced."

"That's alright." Hykos hands him the soul stone. "This needs to be replaced in… Zane, was it?"

 _ **Yeah, his name is Zane.**_

"Replace Zane's soul stone."

Cryptor doesn't say anything, but moves to do what Hykos demands. The villain moves to watch him work. Cryptor doesn't seemed to be bothered by the frost that covers his arms and legs as he opens up Zane's chest and carefully replaces the stone. Jay's surprised to note that it's almost complete, there's just a small piece missing now.

 _He really has been gathering up the pieces…_ Hykos hadn't been lying about that, at least.

Cryptor closes Zane's chest, done with his task, and stands before the villain once more.

"Good." Hykos praises, and pride appears in Cryptor's one remaining eye. "Give me the Ultra weapon."

He does so without question.

 _ **What are you going to do with that?**_ Jay asks warily. The power coming off of it seemed to resonate in their bones in an uncomfortable way, and Jay feels the ache crawl over their skin in response.

The other doesn't respond at first, just looks over the golden staff.

"…You care for the master of ice, don't you?"

 _ **Yes?**_ Jay isn't sure what this line of questioning is about, but it wasn't exactly a secret that the ninja were all friends, so he saw no point in lying or refusing to answer.

"You wouldn't want him to suffer, would you?"

 _ **Don't you dare try to hurt him!**_

"I'm not going to hurt him." He laughs. "…What I meant was, as he is, he'll end up suffering greatly."

 _ **What?**_ Jay can feel his anxiety rising again.

"Calm down." Hykos chuckles. "We can prevent his suffering."

 _ **With the Ultra weapon?**_ The blue ninja asks softly, dread building up.

"Yes."

 _ **Why would you want to do that?**_

"…Hm~." Hykos hums, both amused and thoughtful at the same time. "I suppose I'm a sucker for the past. So what do you say, should we help him?"

While he _had_ implied he knew Zane before, somehow, Jay didn't think that was it. Still… a part of him found he didn't particularly care, so long as Zane was alright in the end.

 _ **You're sure you can help him?**_

"Positive~!" Hykos apparently didn't need any more of an answer than that, because he immediately goes on. "I wish that not-Gollum friend of yours had a normal, human body."

The Ultra weapon glows and then three golden orbs shoot out from the staff, one hitting Zane and infusing him with its golden light, the other two going flying off into the sky.

"…Huh." Hykos says after a beat of silence. "Guess I should have been more specific with my wording."

The sound of the REX returning fills the air, and Hykos quickly wraps up the Ultra weapon and hands it off to Cryptor.

"You know where to take it."

"Ye-es _ssss_ … My Lord." Cryptor put it on his back and heads back into the forest.

 _ **So…**_ Jay draws out, watching Zane intently. _ **Nothing's happening.**_

"Give it time." Hykos says a tad dismissively. "Any ideas on getting two unconscious people up a rope?"

 _ **Uh… No?**_

"This is going to be a challenge, then."

* * *

"You look like crap." The words slip from Ronin's mouth as soon as he gets a good look at Viperae. A chill of horror immediately follows those words, realization setting in quick that he'd provoked the one person who had full control of his contract. "Uh, I mean…"

"Save your platitudes." Viperae says airily, even as his eyes glint darkly. "Did you enjoy your hunt?"

Dread sits like lead in the criminal's gut, an animal instinct telling him to get away from this monster. He takes a steadying breath, and instead meets the demon's eyes head on and asks.

"Why did you take my ship? I thought we were in the middle of a game already." If he couldn't trust that the other would follow the rules he'd set out, Ronin couldn't be sure any little thing wouldn't cause the other to change his mind about taking his soul.

"I already told you~!" Viperae laughs, dark eyes glittering in amusement over his question. "Something lost can easily be stolen, and treasure could easily be something highly valued by someone. You never amended the rules, and so I figured I'd use the last treasure I'd have to get as part of the next game."

Ronin grits his teeth, because he couldn't argue against the other's logic.

"What are the other's waiting for?" He asks instead. "They too busy chatting to get up here?"

"About that…" Viperae flops down into the passenger seat, sitting sideways to face him. "Zane and the master of amber are both unconscious."

"…Why?"

"Don't give me that look." The other huffs, crossing his arms. "I had nothing to do with it… not intentionally, anyway." Ronin wasn't sure he believed that, but he didn't push the other on it. "In regards to our unconscious allies, I have an offer to make."

He pauses, obviously wanting the criminal to ask what it was. Ronin curses the ninja for making a truce with this devil before he queries.

"What kind of offer?"

"Five hundred thousand yen per body."

"…I'm not going to kill them."

"Oh, no, that isn't what I meant~!" He laughs, shaking his head. "I just meant that I'll take off a million yen if you bring them both up here yourself."

That was a lot of money… although it wasn't nearly enough to free him of his debt.

"How can I be sure you'll honor this agreement?"

"I _always_ honor my word." Viperae straightens up in his seat, offense clear on his face, and Ronin tenses just a little bit more. "What kind of man would I be if I didn't?"

 _You're not a man._ Ronin thinks, biting his tongue to keep from speaking those words. _Whatever it is that you are, it isn't human._

"Deal." Regardless of whether or not Viperae would do as he said, Ronin didn't want to incur his wrath while he was alone with the demon. He sets REX to hold her position and gets up from the pilot's seat and moves to leave.

"Before you go," The demon speaks up, voice airy once more (probably happy about getting his way). "that soul stone you've got… were you aware it belongs to the winter spirit?"

"You mean Zane?"

"Yes, him."

"I know."

"…You should give it back to him, then." The other hums lightly. "It'll be much harder to do so later."

Ronin wants to question the other about that, but the demon turns so he's sitting properly in the passenger's seat, obviously considering the conversation over.

Once the criminal is down on the ground, he sees both Zane and Skylor unconscious on the ground as Viperae said they'd be. Neither one looked injured, but that wasn't a relief to the criminal. Viperae probably knew some way to knock people unconscious without leaving a mark. A layer of frost covered the ground around Zane, giving Ronin a clue as to what happened to cause him to fall unconscious, at least… that only left SKylor's condition up in the air.

Going to the restaurant owner's side, he moves to check her pulse, just to make sure. She groans, her eyes fluttering, and shifting to sit up.

"Careful." He warns her, but she only jolts up and glances around.

"Ronin." She looks at him with urgency. "Where's Viperae?"

"He's on my ship."

"And Zane? Is he alright?"

"He looks like he had a vision and passed out."

"A… vision?" Confusion furrowed her brows, and she moves over to the edge of the frost carefully.

"Yeah, a vision." Ronin repeats, moving to stand next to her and looking at the unconscious nindroid as well. "Apparently he blew up his soul, or _half_ of it, and now he has power freak outs where he either falls unconscious and turns where he is into his own personal freezer, or he acts out what he's seeing while _still_ turning wherever he is into his own personal freezer."

"I, uh… I'll just ask the other's later." Skylor rubs the back of her neck. "Can you check to make sure he's alright? Viperae looked like he was going to do something to him before I passed out."

"Is there any reason you can't check him yourself?" He couldn't say he knew Skylor well, but from what he did know of her she seemed the type to always do something herself if she were able.

"It's… a long story." She says reluctantly. "Listen, if you do this, then I'll give you a free meal at Chen's."

"I never said I wouldn't do it." He shrugs, stepping towards the fallen nindroid. "But I will hold you to that."

She rolls her eyes and motions for him to go on.

"Well, he doesn't look damaged on the outside…" Now the 'fun' part. Checking to make sure that his wires hadn't been crossed or whatever. Not that Ronin knew what would be out of order, he could only check for general damage. If Viperae really had rewired him, then Ronin wouldn't know until one of the ninja more familiar with his machinery looked him over. "Huh?"

"What is it?" Skylor presses, inching forward. "Is he hurt?"

"No, I… I don't think so."

"Then what was with that sound you made?" She shifts a little closer too, eyeing the machinery that was usually hidden away.

"You see this glowing rock?" He points to the soul stone. It was cyan, with white lines were the stone appeared to be 'healing' back together, like scarring. "I've been helping gather the pieces, and I know how much he should have."

"Okay…" Skylor eyes the stone. "It only looks like one piece is missing, though."

"That's the problem." Ronin pulls out the stone that Echo had given him for safe keeping and carefully pushes it into place. "We were still looking for the last piece when we got your distress signal."

"So… You think Viperae give him his missing soul piece…?" She appears to be thinking back, and slowly nods. "Yeah, that makes sense. He was saying something about something belonging to Zane that he had, and it looked a lot like that stone you pulled out."

"Okay, case solved." Ronin closes Zane's chest. "Now the only question is 'why?'"

"…He'd probably think he had something to gain by doing it. Although what that would be, or why he'd think that, I can't say." Skylor says slowly, looking up at the rope leading to his ship. "Either way, though, we need to get to the temple of light and help the other's fight Clouse."

"Right." He agrees. "You go on ahead, I'll be up with the walking, talking AC in a second."

He waits until Skylor's had enough time to climb up before he even gets started. It took some work to get the nindroid over his shoulder, and he was certain that the metal he was made of made him heavier than a person his size would normally be. Once that was done he grabbed onto the rope, made sure his foot was secure, and then gave the whistle to signal REX to raise the rope back up. It was a bit of a struggle to maneuver Zane into the ship, but he managed it.

"Good job~." Viperae says cheerfully as Ronin, panting from the effort, let's himself drop back into the pilot's seat. "I'll remove five hundred thousand yen from your debt as soon as this is all over."

"Wait, you said you'd take off a million." The criminal can't help but speak up, disbelief and affront momentarily letting him forget his unease with the other.

"Assuming you'd brought them both up." Viperae makes a little _tsk_ noise that only agitates Ronin further. "Since she got up here under her own power, you only brought one of them up."

"Of course…" He sighs, mumbling under his breath. "Petty jackass."

"What was that~?"

"I said hold on." The criminal lies. "Things're gonna get hectic."

* * *

 **Error, several systems have been damaged.**

Cryptor had no choice but to ignore the various error messages he kept receiving. There was nothing he could do to fix himself at the moment, and he was certain that his Lord would fix him as soon as he was able. In the meantime he had to take the Ultra weapon to the end of the river, as his Lord wanted.

 **This unit will function at a diminished capacity until fixed.**

 _I will not fail my Lord._ Cryptor thinks, feeling his pride well up as he remembers the compliment he'd gotten. _Even if I do not like, nor understand his interest in that blatant clone of me._

The rustling of the trees registers and Cryptor just barely manages to catch the flash of green before the metallic _shlk_ of metal on metal sounds out and his head is cut from his body.

 **Error,** His systems tell him. **Critical damage sustained.**

He can feel someone taking the Ultra weapon from his back.

 **Emergency shutdown initiated.**

* * *

"Kei, Roy, Bob." Lou greets the other Royal Blacksmiths as he walks up. They were all together, which wasn't unusual, they were a rather tight knit group. "I wanted to talk to you gentlemen about something."

"What is it?" Roy asks, looking up from their makeshift game.

"Whatever it is, I bet it's more interesting then this…" Kei grumbles, only to be elbowed by Bob.

"Edna asked me to try and make Cliff feel more welcome, and I can't think of a better way to do that than a song!" He meets each of their eyes, none of them seem to be against the issue.

"Cliff… why does that name sound familiar?" Roy mutters.

"Isn't there a big star named Cliff?" Kei asks.

"Yeah, Cliff Gordon." Bob replies. "He's here too."

"Are you sure you're not trying to network, Lou?" Roy gives him a knowing smile, which he scoffs at.

"Of course not! It never crossed my mind that he might enjoy the musical stylings of the Royal Blacksmiths so much that he would commission us to record some songs for his next movie!"

"Of course not…" Bob says with mock sympathy.

"Did you want to sing one of the classics or write something new?" Kei asks, getting them back on track.

"I think something new would be more appropriate." Lou replies. "Something with a more personal touch."

They get working on the song and Lou finds himself losing track of time. It's only when Kei says he's hungry that they decide to take a break. Lou thought they made a decent amount of progress, but it'd still be a couple days before they would be ready to perform.

 _Of course, I'm certain that Edna wouldn't appreciate me ignoring Cliff until we've finished._ He thinks. _Perhaps I'll ask him if he'd like to have a cuppa?_

With that in mind, he heads off to locate the actor.

End chapter forty eight

* * *

AN: Time keeps slipping by. Kind of feels like it was Monday just a day or so ago. n I'm so close to the end, I don't want to slip up now (although I've already uploaded two kind of late as of now), but we are getting dangerously close to the chapter I'm currently working on. Hopefully that won't happen, but life has been a bit crazy and I'll admit I'm kind of feeling a bit worn out. Regardless, I'll do my best to finish this story!

Last, but not least, thank you to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed my story so far.

-Kit


	50. Chapter 49

The world makes itself known to Zane like a jolt of lightning, first with a bump to the back of his head and then the shouting of those around him.

"He'll be fine, just get down there!" Ronin, sounding aggravated.

"Fine! Just, lower the rope already!" Skylor, sounding harried.

"I'd have to stop moving for that, or risk getting it caught and being pulling out of the air!"

"Well, how else are we supposed to get down there?!"

Zane sits up, groggy, eyes the two arguing while trying to get his bearings.

"I can put a shield up, for a short time." Viperae says calmly.

He was… in REX. They were on their way to fight Clouse after having been contacted by Pixal to help find their missing comrades and hearing about his plans from them. Pressing his hand to his chest, he does his best to push away the unnerving feeling of someone's hand pulling his soul out.

"How short?" Ronin demands.

"I'm not certain." The villain admits, face appearing a bit sour. "…Half a minute, I suppose."

"That's it?!"

"It's the best we've got." Skylor interrupts, her gaze landing on the master of ice as she turns to head for the exit. "Let's-, Oh, Zane, you're up!"

"Great, he rebooted." Ronin tosses over his shoulder sarcastically. "Why don't you fill him in on your way out?"

"No need." Zane says seriously. "I haven't forgotten anything..."

 _I've only_ _ **remembered**_ _things…_ The vision comes to the forefront of his mind, but he forces himself to push it aside. He had to focus on the here and now. _They'll be time to analyze what I saw later._

"Ugh, I don't care!" Ronin snaps. "Just get out of my ship so I can leave!"

The whole ship sways as he dodges a projectile.

"Viperae…" Skylor says seriously.

"Right, right." He replies dismissively. "Ronin, count to ten and then drop the rope."

Zane could see the criminal grit his teeth but he appeared to be doing as told.

"Come on, Zane." Skylor says urgently, moving to the exit.

He moves to stand next to her, and the battlefield comes into his line of sight as he does. What looks like hundreds of shadow warriors all swarming the few dots of color that were his teammates and sensei. Looking ahead, closer to the temple of light, he could see Clouse and Sensei Garmadon engaged in battle.

The rope drops and Skylor is immediately heading down, Zane following a second later. He doesn't have time to even think about his next move after his feet touch down and the shadow warriors are on them. Blocking an attack, he freezes one and stabs another with a shuriken. It dissipates in a puff of black smoke, only to reform behind the titanium nindroid, kicking him down to the ground.

He covers the ground in a thick layer of ice, causing the warriors around him to stumble, slip, and fall. Zane allows himself a small smile, as they wouldn't be able to swarm him as easily as they had his friends, but it drops when he notices Skylor struggling to stand as well.

Getting to his feet he easily makes his way over, freezing as many of the shadow warriors as he could as he went, since they couldn't dissipate and reform when frozen solid. The sound of shattering ice tells him they're aware of that fact, but he doesn't bother looking back as he grabs the master of amber's arm and pulls her away from the icy area.

"Sorry about that." He says, before having to turn and block an attack by one of the shadow warriors.

"It's alright!" She calls back, diverting the attack of another shadow warrior. "I'm starting to think I shouldn't have come here!"

Zane doesn't have time to ask any questions, as a blade barely misses his chest, instead scraping against his side. He's forced to give them his full attention, blasting as many with ice as possible and pushing his way forward, toward the temple of light.

Skylor was a capable fighter, hopefully she'd be alright fighting as long as she didn't have to worry about any environmental hazards caused by the master of ice.

* * *

Spellcasting without drawing the symbols took more energy, more concentration, which was getting to be harder. The closer they'd gotten to the temple of light, the more his head had hurt from the darkness that was concentrated there resonating unpleasantly with his own.

Still, he wasn't going to let that stop him. Viperae was determined to end that annoying little upstart before he gained any traction.

Casting the spell for the shield hadn't taken up too much energy, it wasn't a complex melody, after all, so he should be fine to keep casting.

"Pull the rope back up and prepare to head back." He tells the criminal. "The shield only has a couple seconds left."

"You're not going down there?" Ronin does as he says, despite his question.

"Unlike the others," He says easily, getting up and moving to the exit. "I have a landing strategy."

 _ **You know airjitzu?**_ The little blue jay sounds surprised.

"Not at all…" He murmurs, leaning out to look at the battle that was beginning to shrink as they pulled away. "But I take it you do?"

 _ **Well, yeah, but-**_

He allows himself to fall forward, out of the ship, takes a second to enjoy the light feeling of falling, then pulls back and pushes the blue jay into control.

"Wha-, ahh, _you_ -!" He flails, sputtering with equal parts rage and fear.

 _ **You might want to use your airjitzu now~.**_ Viperae chuckles. _**Unless you'd like to know what it feels like to hit the ground from so high up.**_

He does as the villain says, cushioning their fall enough that they don't die on impact, instead they roughly land into a roll. Thankfully they were far enough from the battle that the shadow warriors hadn't immediately gone after them.

"You… don't… _ever_ … do that… again." The blue ninja pants, one hand coming up to his chest. "I… don't care… if you can't… die… I'll kill you..."

 _ **Would it make you feel better if I said I knew you'd come through~?**_ He says teasingly, noting that a few shadow warriors were heading in their direction.

"Oddly enough, _no_ , it doesn't!" The little blue jay bites back sarcastically.

He doesn't fight when Viperae takes control once again, likely not wanting to deal with the pain once the adrenaline rush wore off.

 _Before that happens,_ he thinks. _I'd better get started._

They'd get nowhere with these insurmountable odds. So what would they need to take on an army of shadow warriors? Some rudimentary Gollum would do the trick. It'd be a hassle to create them without being able to write out the symbols, but they only needed to follow one order before they fell apart.

His blades slide out smoothly, letting out a ring as if it were eager for the fight ahead, and he blocks the shadow warrior's first strike while beginning the spell. He parries, throwing the warrior's arm wide, slashes across his chest, and watches it turn into a puff of black smoke. It flows, going around behind him before reforming, and he easily spins to follow the movement and kicks its feet out from under it.

The first spell complete, he pushes the song down through his body and into the ground beneath his feet. It rumbles, lurching, and he quickly backs up as the dirt Gollum rises up and follows the command burned into its being.

 _Destroy all shadow Warriors._

It keeps the shadow warrior that had split off to come after them busy while Viperae prepares the next spell. This time he goes for something bigger, a more complex melody to create multiple at one time. They'd all be operating on the same command anyway, so it would be fine. Getting down to press his hands to the ground so it'd be easier, he casts the next spell.

About ten more Gollum rise from the earth, tearing it up as they do, and head towards the battle.

The shadow warriors were obviously more complex, the result of a magician being allowed to cast his spells with no time constraint uninterrupted. They weren't as polished as his own stone warriors had been, but it was clear that they wouldn't be overtaken by a few rudimentary Gollum on their own.

What would give them the edge is if he supplemented the dirt Gollum with some air Gollum. They'd be able to disrupt the shadow warriors when they turned into smoke, forcing them to take longer to reform, if not preventing it entirely.

 _To force a fluid to remain cohesive so as to maintain the Gollum's form._ He thinks warily, already beginning to feel the strain of all the spell casting. _It's going to take a very complex melody, and a lot of power._

Still, seeing the ten Gollum he'd made already being torn to shreds, he knew there wasn't any alternative if he wanted to win this. So he got to casting. Fifteen made, cyclones in the shape of a person tearing through the battlefield, and he's starting to feel the strain of expending too much energy all at once.

 _ **Hykos…**_ The blue jay speaks up timidly.

"We can't stop." He says before the master of lightning even has time to say anything. "Not when your friends are still at risk of being overwhelmed."

He can feel the other steel himself, and nod.

 _ **You're right…**_ There's still hesitation in his voice. _**I just… Uh, why don't you use the trees that were knocked over, too? They'd probably last longer.**_

"Of course~." Viperae says lightly, letting the other change the subject. Right now they needed to focus on the fight, so he wouldn't be able to help the child assuage his anxious mind. "It'd be a waste not to."

Plant matter was a bit more complicated than something simple like dirt or rock, but not as much as air would be, and it'd take a lot less power, too, although it was still more than an earth Gollum would use.

 _This'll show that damn upstart._ The villain thinks, a vicious smile settling onto his face. _I'll destroy his carefully crafted warriors with these simple, basic Gollum._

Since he'd promised Jun they'd kill that pathetic little upstart, he'd just have to enjoy seeing the man's pride be crushed before he was finally wiped off the map for good instead of dragging out his suffering.

* * *

Cole, as the master of earth, felt it before the others. Like the way your stomach lurches before the fall on a roller-coaster, the earth lurches beneath him before the rumbling begins.

 _The temple of Light must have fallen._ Cole thinks with a curse. _We have to hurry and stop Clouse before the two islands collide._

It only takes a second for the black ninja to decide what to do. He goes intangible and invisible, and ghosts his way through the battlefield, looking for his friends. As he goes he can't help but notice the Gollum that were tearing through the shadow warriors like paper and whipping them about only to fling them away. With their addition, the battle wasn't so one sided anymore, and despite himself he found himself grateful that Viperae was on their side for now.

 _But if this is how powerful he is when weakened, will we have a chance against him at full strength?_ Doubt creeps into his thoughts, but he quickly pushes it away as his invisibility fails him before he's ready. A blade passes through him harmlessly, since he's still intangible, and a shiver goes down his spine at the feeling.

Shaking those thoughts off, he focuses on the task at hand and ends up finding Kai first.

"Kai!" He shouts, catching the red ninja's attention. "Head for the temple of Light!"

"Already on it!" Kai replies, blasting a shadow warrior with fire, causing it to disperse. Before it can reform a whirling cyclone of a Gollum is on it, scattering its form once more.

Turning Cole heads for where he thinks the next closest person is. He finds Skylor, then Zane, and then Nya. He tells them all the same thing, and when he's certain that they're going he turns and heads that way himself.

He wasn't sure how fast the Dark Island was moving, so there was no telling how long they had to act before it reached Ninjago. There wasn't a second to spare…

* * *

The Destiny's Bounty looked worse for wear, which worried Lloyd. He quickly tied his ship up next to it and boarded it. The inside was almost as bad as the outside, looked almost gutted, missing almost all of their stuff.

"Hey, is anyone here?!" Had something happened to them?

"In here!" Ronin's voice, surprisingly, calls out from the bridge.

Hurrying in, he's surprised to find the criminal playing around with some of the buttons.

"Ronin?" Lloyd can't help but say in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." He raises an eyebrow at the green ninja.

"I… That isn't important." Lloyd shakes his head. "Where are the others?"

"They're currently off fighting Clouse."

"Clouse?" Lloyd asks, surprised. "Why are they fighting Clouse? Just what's going on?"

"Why don't you grab a seat?" Ronin sighs, turning back to whatever he was doing. "It's a long story."

* * *

"Face it," Clouse gloats, blocking Garmadon's attack. "you've _lost_."

Garmadon lets out a growl of anger, his emotions ruling his actions rather than his mind, which had made him sloppy. There was nothing Clouse had wanted to see more, his old rival unraveling before his eyes as Clouse destroys him, crushing him underfoot as he rises to his rightful place as Lord of Ninjago.

"You've always counted your eggs before they hatched." He bites out, eyes flashing in anger. "Now is no different."

He sidesteps another punch, before sweeping the other man's legs out from under him. Garmadon rolls back and onto his feet in a second, not wasting any time before coming at him again. Commanding his shadow warriors to step in for a moment, Clouse prepares a spell.

He waits, timing it so it that it hits the other man in the chest just as he defeats one of his shadow warriors, blasting him back. He rolls to a stop, grasping his chest and groaning in pain.

"Brother!" The shout alerts the magician of the incoming attack before it can land, so he easily dodges the staff and faces the new arrival. "Clouse… your plan ends here."

"You think you can beat me now?" He scoffs. "Have you forgotten our last encounter?"

"This time is different." As he says this, a fireball streaks in the magician's direction, forcing him to block it with a magic shield, only to be hit with a blast of water from the side. "This time I am not alone."

He grits his teeth, trying to ignore the stinging pain of the water and focus. He instructs his shadow warriors to his side, to fend off the ninja who were now surrounding him. He steps back, only to find himself slipping on a sudden layer of ice, and then Wu's staff hits him hard. He's sent sprawling.

Climbing to his feet, he grits his teeth and begins summoning a shadow mech like before. His shadow warriors converge on him, trying to coalesce into the mech, but there's suddenly a wind Gollum, blowing them apart and scattering his warriors. Another blast of water hits him, sending him sliding back on the ice cover ground.

 _No…_ He thinks, anger bubbling up. _You can't win._

This was it. His birth right. He was going to be the ruler of Ninjago!

Snarling he begins to cast spells half-hazardly, forcing them back. He blocks against any further elemental attacks, while instructing every single shadow warrior to converge on their point. He doesn't expect someone to grab him from behind, realizing a second too late that he'd forgotten Garmadon after assuming his last attack had taken the other man out, and feels the other pull him back. He rolls back and Clouse is flipped back, hitting the ground hard.

"Now!" Wu yells out, and then he's blasted by a barrage of elements.

The area fills with steam from the mix of fire, ice, and water, which he uses as a cover to try and make his escape. He wasn't going to die again. Something hits the back of his legs, he trips and stumbles, something catching the back of his clothes and he's blinking at water rushing an inch from his face.

In the confusion he'd ended up running towards the river… Glancing back he sees Garmadon glaring down at him.

"Before you do anything rash," He tries to reason with the other man. "you're a changed man, aren't you?." He remembered how pathetically haughty he was during the tournament of elements, feeling like he was so much better than Clouse just because he'd decided he couldn't handle being a lord anymore. "You wouldn't just kill an enemy, right?"

Yes, Garmadon was a 'good guy' now, which meant that he'd have to drag Clouse to prison rather than kill him. This would give the mage a chance to escape. He feels a momentary relief when he sees the small smile cross the other's face as he pulls him up a bit, only for dread to build up when he doesn't pull him up enough to get away from the rushing river.

"You should have left my family alone, _Clousey-Clouse_." He sneers, igniting Clouse's anger.

"I am one of the most powerful mages in Ninjago!" He yells, struggling to try and get his feet securely on the bank and hoist himself back up. "You'll regret ever underestimating me!"

"No, I won't." He says simply, before he releases his hold.

Fear fills Clouse as he plunges into the rushing waters and is pulled under, pain invading his every sense as he's tossed about until everything turns black.

* * *

There's no satisfaction as Garmadon watches the other man disperse in the water, pulled apart molecule by molecule. No, it just leaves him feeling hollow.

"Brother…" Wu says tentatively, approaching him to lay a hand on his shoulder. "It's over."

"No, it's not." He shrugs the other man's hand off his shoulder. "We still need to stop the Dark Island from merging with Ninjago."

"I'm afraid that's impossible now." Viperae calls out, casually picking his way through the remains of the battlefield. The shadow warriors had all vanished after their master had died, and the Gollum the villain had made were collapsing as their task was done.

"…Why is that?" Garmadon asks the man, feeling too worn out emotionally to react much.

"The temple of Light on the Dark Island, and the temple of Shadow on Ninjago… they were made to artificially keep the balance of the two islands in check so that the land masses would remain separated." Viperae smiles, and it looks vicious… and victorious. "The temple of Shadows was already damaged in the Overlord's last attack, and now that the temple of Light has fallen, there's nothing you can do to stop what's happening."

"You'd like for us to believe that, wouldn't you?!" Kai yells. "For all we know you're lying so that we won't even bother trying!"

"Well, you can waste your time trying to move tons of dark matter if you want~." Viperae shrugs.

While the ninja moves to do try and do just that, Garmadon takes a moment to examine Viperae. He looks exhausted, the shaking in his hands having moved up to his shoulders and down his legs. The spell casting must have taken a lot out of him.

"Hykos-" He begins, only to be cut off by Wu.

"Brother, we need to talk." Agitation works its way up his spine, but he does his best to push it down, motioning for the younger to speak. "I… _Lloyd_?"

Following his brother's gaze, he's surprised to see his son, dressed in his ninja gear with the hood pulled up, making a b-line right for them. He pulls a staff from his back, spinning it in hand and pulling off the cloth covering it in one fluid motion, revealing a golden staff that was far too familiar.

There was no doubt that was the Ultra Weapon that Viperae had created, but when did Lloyd get it, and what was he doing here?

"Careful, Pup…" Viperae calls out, voice guarded. "You wouldn't want to die because you made a silly little wish."

"So it's you, then?" Lloyd says back, eyeing the villain.

 _Something's… off._ Garmadon realizes. _It's like he doesn't even recognize Jay._

"Lloyd?" Wu calls out, but he doesn't even react.

"Wu?" Garmadon questions, pushing aside all his anger out of fear for his son. "Do you know what's going on? Just what is he doing?!"

"I don't know, but we have to stop him." Wu says urgently.

Garmadon didn't have to be told twice, he was running towards his son as soon as the words left Wu's mouth. He wasn't going to stand by and let Lloyd accidentally kill himself. He'd already lost Misako, he couldn't bear the thought of losing Lloyd too.

"I wish your souls weren't entangled." Lloyd says before they can reach him, the Ultra Weapon glows with power, the glow flowing through the blond before a golden orb of light shoots out and hits Viperae, appearing to go through him, forcing something to fly out of his back.

Garmadon slows to a stop before his son, grabs his shoulders and watches him fearfully for any signs of pain or the contract taking hold, but the feeling of something being off only grows as Lloyd shrugs off his hands and glares at him.

"Lloyd…?" He questions.

"I'm not _Lloyd_." The boy spits out (and now that he's no longer panicking about his son possibly dying, he notes that the boy's voice sounds different than Lloyd's), and pulls down his hood. He had the same intense green eyes and the same blond hair as Lloyd, only styling slightly differently, but the two look like they could be brothers. "My name is Idris… and I'm here to fulfill the prophecy."

 _Idris…?_ The name sounded familiar, yet he couldn't place where he'd heard it before.

"What prophecy are you talking about?" Wu asks, looking just as thrown as Garmadon felt.

"The prophecy of the green ninja." His grip on the Ultra weapon tightens. "I'm going to defeat the Overlord."

* * *

Senses come back to Viperae rapidly as his body is rebuilt. Muscle grows over bone, and pale skin grows over muscle. His hair falls over his shoulders and down his back, as black as night. He gasps out a breath, coughing a bit as they adjust. Blurry vision focusing into sharp clarity.

He feels weak, his head aching, his ears ringing, and the chill of the air on his bare skin makes him shiver. Carefully he moves into a kneeling position, his shaking arms barely supporting him, and looking up he ends up meeting the eyes of the one who was wielding the Ultra Weapon.

 _This isn't the dragon pup._ He thinks, dread creeping up his back. _I shouldn't have let my guard down._

He'd gotten cocky, and now his own weapon was being used against him. Worse yet, he could see the blue jay's prone form. Had enough of the dark matter spread to him to keep him from dying?

"Jay!" The _real_ dragon pup calls out as he rushes out from the trees and towards the little blue jay. "…He's not breathing!"

"What…?" the imposter pup breathes out in shock. "But-, wait, shouldn't he be alright?"

The other ninja, summoned by the dragon pup's shout, crowd around the master of lightning.

"What happened?" The ghost questions.

"Idris here," Sensei Wu explains calmly. "detangled Jay and Viperae's souls… and that has caused Jay to pass on from this world."

The color slowly drains from the imposter pup's face, he drops the Ultra weapon, and a look of horror slowly takes hold.

"I… I swear I didn't-, they told me that it'd fix everything-, I didn't think he'd die…"

"Isn't there something we can do?" the matchstick questions, looking around at his companions.

"It's too late, Kai." The water nymph shakes her head, biting back tears. "He's already gone."

Silence rings louder than any sound at the moment as reality sinks in.

Jay walker is dead.

End chapter forty nine

* * *

AN: Hey! I have a few things to mention in this note. First, the temple on Ninjago isn't actually called the temple of shadow, it's the temple of strength. I thought temple of shadow was more fitting, given that the Dark island and Ninjago are made to be very similar to the yin yang symbol. Second, We're getting very close to the end, here. I don't think there's that many chapters left (although the characters could drag this out father than I expected, like they've been doing from the start). which leads us into the next point. Third, this is the last chapter I had pre-written. From here on out I'll be writing the chapters as we go, hopefully before Monday comes, but I don't think I can make any promises about that. I'll try to keep the uploads around every other week, if I can't upload every week. Finally, to end a long note, a thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, and followed this story so far! I hope you're all enjoying this story and are looking forward to the end. ^u^

-Kit


	51. Chapter 50

"It's time to wake up." A warm voice says, shaking Jay's shoulder.

"Just five more minutes…" Jay groans, snuggling into his warm blankets. He was so tired, and it was so peaceful here, he just wanted to sleep for a week.

"I'm afraid there's no time for that, James." The voice says sadly, hand moving from his shoulder to card fingers through his hair, brushing it away from his face. The name sits oddly in his mind, as he'd only ever been called that by teachers who didn't know that he'd never _ever_ gone by that name (Just like his father was technically named Edward, but went by Ed).

"It's… 'Jay.'" He manages to grumble, pushing himself into a sitting position. The white robes he's wearing instantly catch his attention as the blanket falls to his lap, and that settles even more oddly on his mind.

 _Wasn't I wearing something… darker?_ He thinks. _And for that matter, I don't think I even own anything pure white._

A warm hand grasps his and he nearly jumps from his skin, somehow having forgotten the person who'd woken him in the few seconds he'd been awake.

"It's alright, James." She squeezes his hand, her face framed by her cinnamon brown hair, her eyes are an intense, electric blue much like Jay's own. "Your memories will return… in a bit."

Her yukata was a brilliant blue like her eyes, the edges decorated in yellow lightning bolts to match her golden yellow obi… she looked like she was dressed up to go to a festival or something. She gently tugs at his hand, urging him to stand. She leads him out of the room, and begins down the hall, but despite looking around everything feels foggy. It's like he's still half asleep and his mind refuses to process what he's seeing.

"where are we going?" He asks after a bit of a walk.

She glances back at him, a strange mix of sadness and steely determination in her eyes.

"I've wanted to see you for so long…" She says, a smile taking hold even as tears well up in her eyes. "but it's too soon… you've yet to live a long, happy life."

His mind feels weighted down, confusedly struggling to comprehend the words she's saying. Finally, everything slides into place and he stumbles to a stop as he realizes.

The battle against Clouse, Hykos' vicious satisfaction at seeing the other aspiring world ruler die, the confusion as what he'd thought was Lloyd approached them with the Ultra weapon, and then… then the burn of energy pulsing through his chest before darkness consumed him.

"I… am I dead?"

* * *

"No…" Lloyd says in a strained whisper. "He can't be dead."

Despite his words, the proof is right before him in the pale visage of his friend, completely still and unmoving.

 _I promised…_ He thinks, emotions running wild, causing his thoughts to spiral. _I'm supposed to come in and save the day, I'm the green ninja, I'm supposed to save people, not let them die, I promised his mom I'd bring him back-_

"The Ultra weapon." Zane says urgently, catching everyone's attention. "Sensei Garmadon used the Mega weapon to bring some pirates back to life, so it stands to reason that the Ultra weapon could bring Jay back to life."

Lloyd blinks through the tears that had clouded his vision, a hopeful smile taking hold.

"You… You're right!" He glances over at the other blond (a green ninja wannabe?), who had dropped the Ultra weapon, and reaches out.

" _Before_ you all get your hopes up," Viperae calls out. "you should know that it can only bring those who choose to return back to life."

Lloyd glances over at the villain, meets his steady gaze, and is surprised to note the worry in his eyes. He nods once, tries to push down his own anxiety, because why wouldn't Jay choose to come back?

He picks up the Ultra weapon, it thrums with power (resonating in his bones), grips it in both hands, and takes a deep breath.

" _Lloyd_ ," His dad speaks up, worry clear in his voice. "you can't-"

"It's alright, Dad!" He cuts his dad off, heart beginning to pound as he holds the staff out in from of him, over Jay. "I already took care of it!" He doesn't know that, doesn't know if his solution would even work, but right now he didn't care. Right now Jay needed his help. "I wish Jay was alive."

He waits a moment, his heart twisting up in his chest.

"I wish Jay was alive!" Nothing. "Dammit, Jay, _please…_ "

"You're panicking." Viperae calls out again. "Calm down, and let the energy flow through you."

He nods fervently, even as his hopes are sinking that Jay wants to come back at all.

 _Maybe he's sick of all of us._ He bites the inside of his cheek and tries to focus. _Or maybe there's something there that's way better than anything here could ever be._

He's the master of energy, he can _do_ this!

Tears are welling up, blurring his vision, and his hands are trembling badly enough that he can't hold the Ultra weapon steady anymore.

"I… w-wish… Jay… was alive." He grits out anyway. "I wish… J-jay… was… alive."

Another pair of hands grab the staff, steadying it, and he glances up to see the other blond, Idris, kneeling across from him on Jay's other side.

"Let me help." His eyes are pleading. "I never wanted anyone to die, so, _please_ , let me help."

"You know how to use this?" Lloyd asks, despite knowing that was why Jay was dead in the first place.

"Yeah, I do." Idris nods.

"Then, together…" Lloyd closes his eyes, and tries to feel the flow of energy like Viperae told him to. He starts by feeling his own power, just like he was used to doing in meditation, then focuses on the thrumming energy flowing into him from the Ultra weapon. He follows that until he finds another energy signature, something warm and comforting, soothing almost, and it reaches out back to him.

Like two magnets snapping into place, their powers connect and pour into the conduit that was the Ultra weapon. A massive wave of golden power shoots out in a ring, speeding over the land. Lloyd jolts, eyes meeting the other boy's for a moment, both surprised.

 _This is it._ The thought seems to occur to both of them, as he can see the other steel himself.

Taking one last, deep breath, Lloyd prepares to make his wish.

* * *

The woman's warm embrace does little to quell the raging emotions that the realization brings.

"It's okay." She assures him. "It's going to be okay."

"I'm _dead_ …" He chokes out through tears. "How is that anything close to okay?!"

"I can explain." A new voice speaks up, one that sounds _so_ familiar.

Pulling away from the woman, Jay feels like he's taken yet another blow to the stomach.

"Uncle Al…?" His brows furrow. "You… you're dead?"

"Yes, I-" His uncle stops, his own brows furrowing in a mirror of Jay's perplexed face. "You… weren't aware that I'm dead?"

"No!" Jay shakes his head. "How could I have known? How long have you even been dead?"

"Ah, that's… That'd be a story we don't have time for." Al shakes his head. "I promise I'll explain that later, though."

"Sure…" Jay laughs, just a touch hysterically. "I mean, I've got nothing but time now."

His attempt at a joke falls flat, with the woman and his uncle sharing a glance.

"About that…" Al starts.

"The Dragons have summoned you." The woman finishes.

"…dragons?" He questions.

"Listen, the meeting is due to start soon, and only Storm is allowed in there with you as the previous master of lightning." Al rushes to say. "But, no matter what, you need to accept the deal."

"…Okay?" He says unsurely, and then the woman, who Jay assumes is Storm, grips his hand once more and pulls him to a nearby room.

"Our time is up." She says, releasing him to push the door open. "No matter what, James, I love you."

Jay glances back at his uncle one last time, who waves him off with a happy smile, mouthing 'take the deal.'

When he steps into the room he's instantly aware of the massive dragon waiting for them. Jay feels tiny in its presence, shard wouldn't even be able to hold a flame to this dragon's size.

" **Masters of lightning, of past and of present."** The dragon's voice rumbles like rolling thunder.

"Dragon of lightning." Storm bows deeply, and Jay jumps to follow suit. "Why have you summoned my son?"

 _Wait, son?_ Glancing at the woman, Jay could probably slap himself for not noticing the similarities between them. _This is my biological mom, then?_

The thought is odd, and sad, because he hadn't put much thought into who his biological parents were beyond the whole djin incident. He'd wanted to just forget it'd ever happened (or most of it, at the time anyway), so he hadn't even considered that one of them might be dead. It was actually kind of sad, now that he realized…

An elbow to the side jolts him from his thoughts, and he ends up blurting out a reply.

"What?"

 _Oh, god._ He thinks with a sinking stomach as the dragon looms over him. _I've just offended a dragon, haven't I?_

" **My champion… how has this life treated you so far?"**

"What…?" He finds himself repeating dumbly. "Uh, I mean, fine?"

The dragon let's out a low, rumbling laugh that resonates in Jay's chest the same way the base to a song would when turned way up.

" **You've been offered a gift, little one."** The dragon says once its calmed down. **"Unfortunately, there is going to be a cost you must pay before we can allow you to accept it."**

"A… cost?" Jay shakes his head. "I don't… what gift are you even talking about?"

" **The gift of a second chance at life."** Jay takes in a sharp breath at that. The dragon, for its part, just flicks its tail like a cat. **"The cost… is returning the dragon's gold we once gifted to humanity back to us upon your final death."**

"It's a good deal, James." Storm says softly. "You should accept it."

"I… how am I even supposed to do that?" Jay asks, despite everything in him wanting to jump on the offer.

" **That will be taken care of once the deal is made."** The dragon replies coolly, shifting its stance a bit. **"If you hesitate for much longer, your chance will be gone. So, my champion, do you accept?"**

Feeling his heart pounding in his chest, anxiety bubbling up at the mention of a time pressure, Jay forces himself to answer.

* * *

Zane can't tear his eyes away from Jay, feeling like he's stuck holding his breath even though he knows that isn't true. Lloyd had started up a mantra of 'please, please, _please_ ' and to his left he can hear Cole muttering 'come on, Jay.' The tension in the air is thick, wiping away every other thought but the hope that Jay will choose to come back.

The Ultra weapon starts glowing, then it starts to melt in the two boys' grasp, causing them both to pull back with a jolt. They're still watching it though, enraptured by its changing shape, turning into what looks like chains. One end goes down, sinking into Jay's still chest, the other goes up, disappearing into the air for a moment. When it pulls back, more chain sinking into Jay's chest as it goes, the end reappears, anchored into a sparking, electric blue ball of light.

 _Jay's soul…_ Zane realizes, finally feeling like he can let out the breath he'd been holding. _He came back after all._

A second after the ball of light disappears into his chest, Jay takes a small, gasping breath, and then tension in their group finally breaks.

Lloyd throws himself on their friend, wrapping his arms around his neck in a hug and chanting his new mantra of 'thank you, thank you _thank you,_ ' and everyone begins moving in to get a good look at their friend, to assure themselves he's okay.

Zane desperately wants to look Jay over himself, to assess whether the prolonged death state had negatively affected the master of lightning in any way, but he holds back. Mostly because the others are all in the way, and partly because Idris was trying to sneak off.

He freezes when Zane grabs his arm, and Zane has to fight the very irrational hatred that springs up when he thinks about how this person had come out of nowhere and caused them so much trouble. _Had nearly killed Jay forever._ He reminded himself that he'd also helped bring him back, and kept his words in a cool neutral.

"I think it'd be best if you explained yourself."

Idris hesitates, guilt and shame clear enough on his face to help ease a bit of the irrational anger Zane feels.

"Right…"

Once Zane is certain that Lloyd's look alike wasn't going to leave, he turns and heads back towards the group. Sensei Wu had finally put his foot down and told the others to give Jay some space, though Lloyd was still clinging to him, sobbing in relief.

Although Jay's breathing (which Zane keeps checking to make sure it's still true), he isn't awake.

 _It took a bit for Cyrus to wake up too._ He assures himself. _Jay's soul is probably just going to need a bit of time to readjust._

* * *

Germadon felt a wave of relief seeing that his son was fine. He wasn't sure how Lloyd had managed to sidestep the contract that Hykos had branded him with, and he was certainly going to ask him about that later, but for now there were more important things that needed his attention.

Turning away from the ninja gathered around Jay, he turns to where Hykos had ended up a little bit away, and slowly approaches him, taking the time to examine him as he goes.

He was completely bare, pale skin missing the myriad of scars that he would expect of any accomplished martial artist to have accrued over the years, let alone a battle-hardened warrior. In fact, as he was kneeling there, he didn't look anything like a warrior at all.

"…Is this it?" He asks at Garmadon's approach, voice even. His gaze, which had been lingering on the blue ninja along with everyone else, shifts to the him. "Ah, sorry, I shouldn't ask questions I already know the answer to."

He lets out a little laugh, which sounds bitter. Garmadon isn't sure what to say to that, instead he takes off his outer shirt and drapes it over the other man's shoulders and asks.

"Can you stand?"

He pulls the shirt on, adjusting it to cover as much as possible before he stands. He's taller than Garmadon would have expected, although still shorter than him, and he was lithe. With the hair falling down his shoulders to his waist like a midnight river and soft facial features, Garmadon would never guess that this man was the Overlord who had inspired fear in thousands through his vicious nature.

"You don't want to tie me up?" He asks, a light teasing tone to his voice.

"What?" He finds himself caught off guard, too lost in his musings to quickly figure out the meaning behind the other's words.

"To take me to prison…?" The other raises an eyebrow at him before they furrow, and his eyes darken. "Unless, that is, you'd rather just kill me."

"Kill…?" He breaths the word out in confusion, before something clicks in his mind. Clouse was gone, they'd found everyone that they _could_ find now (since Misako was no longer a part of this world), and Hykos was no longer in control of Jay, so they had no reason for a truce anymore. Hykos was expecting them to turn on him already. "We're not going to kill you… although I'm surprised you seem so calm about it."

He would've expected the other to be plotting his next move already, or just straight up disappear into the forest.

"Can't you feel it?" Hykos studies his face intently.

Garmadon takes a moment, trying to feel whatever it is that Hykos is feeling, but… he can't feel anything.

 _Wait…_

"The dark matter…" He starts, trailing off.

"It's gone." Hykos finishes. "It's _all_ gone."

He couldn't feel it's influence anywhere. The Dark island, that had been infected long before Garmadon had ever been born, was completely free from any trace of dark matter.

"Yours, too?" He has to ask, even though he could guess.

"You didn't think I'd been fine with you hauling me off to jail otherwise, did you?" He quips.

"We're not taking you to jail." He says, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Whoa, wait, what?!" Kai calls out, stepping away from the circle around the blue ninja to give him a look that says just what he thinks of his statement. "Have you forgotten who this guy is, Sensei? Who caused this whole mess to begin with?!"

"Kai… I understand your reservations-" He tries to assuage the master of fire's anger, but he wasn't having it.

"Reservations?!" Kai scoffs. "Did you forget that he's killed people? _Innocent_ people!"

"I'm not saying he didn't…" Garmadon says, hoping to placate a bit of the master of fire's anger. "But it'd be hypocritical of us to hold him to a different standard."

"What… Sensei, what standard are you talking about?" Kai's brows furrow, anger simmering down a bit, although not completely gone. "Common human decency?"

Garmadon gathers his thoughts, taking a moment to glance over everyone gathered. Cole was watching the exchange, looking conflicted. Nya looked upset, likely on the same side as her brother in this. Zane was currently checking Jay's pulse, obviously more concerned with their friend's condition than the current argument (although Garmadon had no doubt the titanium nindroid was still listening). There was Skylor, who looked like she understood why he was doing this. He skips Wu, not wanting to see his brother's expression at the moment (at the disappointment that Garmadon was shaping up to be the villain he'd claimed he wasn't for so long). There was Echo, who looked a little lost. There was Idris, who's expression was guarded, although anger obviously slipped through the cracks. And then there was Lloyd, who had managed to calm down enough that he wasn't crying anymore, but who was watching the whole exchange in confusion.

"If we take him to jail…" He steels himself, squaring his shoulders and not letting any of his insecurities show through. "then we have to take me to jail, too."

"What?" Lloyd immediately asks, voice rough from the previous crying. He harshly wipes his face with his sleeve, and gives him the most confused and hurt look he could muster. "Why would you say that?"

"Because he was infected with dark matter, too." Garmadon explains, feeling his heart ache at his son's reaction. He had no intentions of leaving him again, but he had to make the others see reason. "As I said before, it'd be hypocritical to treat me any different than any other who was in the same position. So, whatever we decide to do with him, we also to do me."

"Jun…" Hykos speaks up, a slight laugh in his voice. "what a foolhardy thing to say."

He gives the other man a withering look, which is returned with a shrug.

"This is different, though." Kai insists. "He's _killed_ people!"

"My hands aren't clean of blood, either, Kai." Garmadon nearly sighs.

"But-"

"Kai." Lloyd interrupts the red ninja. "He's right."

"Lloyd?" Kai questions, caught off guard.

"We can't treat my dad special just because he's my dad…" Lloyd sniffles a little. "And if Dad thinks he deserves a chance, then I think we should give him one."

"…fine." Kai relents after a moment. "But I still don't trust him."

"That's alright." Garmadon feels himself relax a small bit.

"I think," Wu speaks up, trying and failing to hide the pensive look on his face. "it would be best if we returned to the Destiny's Bounty to discuss this."

"Hopefully Ronin's finished the repairs, or at least done enough that we can head back to Ninjago." Nya says. "I'm sick of wandering through these woods."

"Wait, don't we still have to find Mom?" Lloyd asks, causing those who'd been on the island to hesitate.

"Good point." Cole says, thoughtfully, also unaware of what had happened. "I think it'd be a good idea for us to get Jay back to the Bounty, though. Do you guys have any idea where Misako and her group are…?" Cole trails off, seeming to catch on that something wasn't right. "Did something happen?"

Silence lingers for a moment, before Garmadon moves before his son, kneeling down next to him and putting his hands on his shoulders.

"Dad…?" Lloyd asks tentatively, knowing that his father wouldn't be acting like this if everything was alright.

"I'm sorry Lloyd…" He can already see tears welling up in his son's eyes, so he pulls him into a hug. "Misako… your mother, is dead."

"B-But…" His voice breaks, tears starting up again. "Why…? When… what _happened?_ "

Garmadon glances at his brother, his sharp gaze causing his brother to flinch and look away, before pushing his own feelings aside and focusing instead on Misako's last wish.

"It was an accident… a cave in." He tightens the hug a bit, his own sorrow that he'd done his best to ignore bubbling up to the surface. "I'm sorry, Lloyd… I should have been there."

 _I should have been there to save her._ Guilt, along with his brother's words, ring in his ears. _You shouldn't have to live without her._

* * *

Guilt ate at Wu from his brother's words. If anyone should be apologizing, it should be him, as he was the direct cause of Misako's death. Despite knowing his touch would likely be unwelcome, he moves forward and lays a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Do not blame yourself, Brother." He tries to convey his sincerity, how sorry he was for both his actions and words. "I do not think that you could have changed what happened, even if you had been there."

Wu likely would have done what he'd done no matter what Garmadon had said… no, he'd likely have lashed out at his older brother even more…

"Not to interrupt a _lovely_ family moment," Viperae speaks up. "but how long do you plan on staying out in this wilderness?"

Wu frowns, shooting the villain (or was it ex-villain now?) a glare. The other meets it unflinchingly, uncaring that he was being selfish.

 _It won't be long before he shows his true colors._ He thinks, turning to watch as the ninja all prepare to head back to the Destiny's Bounty. _I just hope you won't let him drag you down with him, Brother._

End chapter Fifty

* * *

AN: So, I managed to finish the next chapter on time! Which is good, because I'd feel bad if I had to leave you all on the cliff hanger of last chapter any longer. ^u^

Also, thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, and follows my story!

-Kit


	52. Chapter 51

The first thing they did when getting back to the Destiny's Bounty was make sure Jay was comfortable in bed. Cole's bed, to be specific, since Jay's bed was the top bunk and everyone wanted to be able to easily check on the blue ninja for any changes in his condition. After that Sensei Wu insisted they all clean up and get a good meal before they get into the knitty gritty of why Idris had shown up.

Kai wasn't happy about it, but he couldn't deny that he'd _love_ a hot meal right now that wasn't some weird creature roasted on a stick. And a shower. Hopefully he didn't smell too bad right now…

"Since we're going to have to make some hot water for the Lotus Breaker, does anyone want tea?" Nya asks.

"Ugh…" Kai can't help but groan at the reminder that they'd have to drink more of that gross 'tea.' He didn't say anything about it though, because as much as he hated it, he didn't want his weird djin blood to mess with his life… mess with his friends.

 _Did Jay come so close to death because Nya and I weren't drinking it?_ The thought only adds fuel to his irritation. Even if it were true, it didn't change the fact that it was the direct result of that newcomer's actions. Added to that was the irritation at having a _villain_ just hanging around being _shady_ with the full approval of Sensei Garmadon, and Kai was finding himself having trouble not snapping at everyone he talked to.

If he wasn't so tired from the days roughing it and the battle, he'd train to let off some steam… not that they had much equipment for that at the moment.

"I would love a cup of green tea." Sensei Wu says, giving the master of water a thankful smile.

"Of course, Sensei." Her smirk says that she had expected as much (as would anyone who knew the man). "Anyone else?"

There's a general consensus among the group for green tea, aside from Idris who awkwardly turns the offer down and Viperae, who straight up ignores the offer. Well, if he's hoping to be asked directly then tough luck, because his Sis treats the villain with the same amount of disregard.

Zane decides to make some kind of soup for everyone, asking Echo to prep everything for him while he goes to check Jay's vitals. Again. As if they'd change in the five minutes since the last time he'd checked. Now, Kai couldn't say he _wasn't_ worried about Jay. He was, which was why he was doing his best to keep an eye on both Viperae and Idris, but it was weird for the nindroid's emotions to be so… transparent.

Maybe he'd known him long enough to finally be able to read him, or maybe the nindroid had learned to better express himself, but Kai wasn't so sure either option was right. He had no idea what other reasons could explain the change, though, so he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. If he found a moment alone with the titanium nindroid he'd ask about it... but until then he needed to focus on making sure neither Idris nor Viperae tried anything.

* * *

Zane let out a small breath, a sigh perhaps, as he closes the door to their shared room. He _did_ intend to check on Jay, that wasn't a lie, but there was something more pressing on his mind at the moment. The visions he'd had, the last one specifically, kept coming to mind now that things had calmed down a bit.

 _The first spinjitzu master killed me._ Although that wasn't true. Not exactly. He'd torn out the hunter's soul. Had, apparently, given it along with his dead body, to a half-brother of his… all while the thief was waiting for his eventual arrival in Mythland.

Letting out a harsher breath, the master of ice tries to calm the welling of emotion that surges up as he goes over the memories once more… usually it was easy to keep a handle on his emotions. Making a rational choice was difficult when you were ruled by emotion.

Shaking those thoughts for just a moment, he heads towards Jay's side and takes a moment to check his pulse.

… _Did my father know?_ The thought springs up. _He named me after the hunter, he must have at least hoped to revive me in some form._

It was… odd, thinking of himself as both someone separate from the hunter and the same as the hunter. His life as a nindroid was so much more tangible… he had all of his memories as a nindroid, not the pieces here and there that he'd gotten glimpses of, of the hunter's life.

And yet… he couldn't deny that he _was_ the hunter, once.

Now, more than ever, he wishes he could talk to his father. To ask him why he'd built him, to ask if he'd been hoping to rebuild a lost ancestor, or had he really hoped to build himself a son. He'd said that Zane was his own person, once, and had even briefly erased his memories to give the nindroid a chance to make his own life but…

 _Does he have the dagger?_ It's important. He can still feel its weight in his hands, can still feel the warmth lingering from its owner… _I can't return it now._

The thought makes him feel sick. He isn't sure why, or even how. He can't get sick, not like a normal person does, anyway.

There's a squeeze on his hand and he jolts back into the present, eyes locking onto where Jay had unconsciously slid his hand into Zane's lose grip and squeezed. It feels like his heart is pounding, but Jay isn't awake yet, just shifting in his sleep, and he had always been a clingy sleeper.

 _I should have kept a closer eye on Cyrus._ He thinks regretfully. _I have no idea if this is normal or not._

He hadn't expected to see any signs of movement from the blue ninja so soon… but he is happy to see it. Jay may be up and talking to them before they know it.

"Thank you." He says softly, squeezing the other's hand back. It might not have been intentional, but it was nice having someone there to break him out of his thoughts.

Jay shifts again, just a little bit, and mumbles something incoherent, but… but that _almost_ sounds like something that Zane can't quite place his finger on.

The sound of the door opening rips his attention away from the master of lightning and towards his brother's soft smile.

"I have finished the preparations, Brother!"

"Ah, thank you, Brother…" He had hoped to have a bit more time to himself to think things over. "I'll be there in a minute."

"Alright." The bronze nindroid nods, leaving without much more preamble.

One more, final sigh, this one softer than the rest, before he turns back to Jay to say, "I'll be back." He has no idea if Jay has any idea what's going on around him or not, but it seemed… wrong not to, somehow.

 _I need to talk to someone about this._ He decides as he closes the door behind him softly. _I cannot allow whatever this is to interfere with my duties._

* * *

Echo tries not to walk too fast as he makes his way to the bridge of the ship. He doesn't want his brother to think he had any problems with helping him, even though he was eager to finally get to talk with Pixal once more.

There was so much he wanted to talk to her about, to fill her in on how the final battle went… he doesn't expect to find Ronin already there.

"Oh, hello, Ronin." The criminal doesn't answer him, but the glance over his shoulder is enough to let Echo know he's aware of the nindroid's presence. "What are you doing?"

Ronin, who's working at the control panel, seems to be typing something into the computer. He lets out a frustrated sound, a huff, before he turns to Echo with a glare on his face.

"I'm trying to get your stupid computers to work so we can start heading back to Ninjago, what does it look like I'm doing?"

He doesn't answer the question, because he thinks that Ronin doesn't _actually_ want an answer, but instead asks his own.

"Why not ask Pixal for help?" He steps up next to Ronin, looking up at the screen expecting the AI's face to appear. "She is very good with these sorts of things."

"She's ignoring me, or something." Ronin scoffs.

"She is?" That didn't sound like Pixal. Echo might not know her very well, but he did not think Pixal would be the type to ignore anyone in the situation they're in.

"Well she isn't answering me, that's for sure." The criminal huffs. "She hasn't for at least an hour now."

There's a beeping and Echo turns to see Tai-D come out from under one of the consoles. It tells him that Pixal had appeared to be having some issues with her programming while Ronin was away repairing other parts of the ship, and had elected to shut down to do some self-analysis. Echo relates this info to Ronin, who just scoffs.

"Of course. Do any of you living computers _not_ have issues?"

"You say that as if humans are without error or malfunction."

Ronin raises an eyebrow at that.

"For that, you get to deal with this mess."

And then the criminal walks off, leaving Echo to guide the Bounty back to Ninjago on his own.

* * *

Wu shifts, seated on the floor, trying to appear unbothered. Their dining room was empty, the table and chairs both now somewhere in the river, thrown there by his very own hand. Their living room was in a similar empty state. Seeing the others' looks of shock as they walked through the ship was enough to bring up embarrassment at his thoughtless actions, and guilt at allowing his own emotions to overwhelm him. It wasn't just their possessions that he'd driven off, but his brother as well.

 _And now has he fallen in with a poor crowd again?_ Eyes landing on Viperae, who was leaning against the wall casually observing everyone, he wonders just what his brother saw in such a horrid villain to feel any sort of connection to him. _When had they grown so close as to address each other as close friends would?_

But now wasn't the time for that. He could deal with his brother later, and Viperae didn't have anywhere to go but an uninhabited island, so they didn't have to worry about that until they returned to Ninjago… no, right now what they needed to focus on was the two boys dressed in green on their ship.

First, and most importantly, was Lloyd, who had been worryingly quiet since they'd told him what had happened to his mother. Wu wanted to talk to his nephew, to assure him that his mother's last thoughts had been of him and her love for him… but he wasn't sure the green ninja would appreciate him asking in front of everyone else.

 _Still, it might be better to address the issue now rather than let him linger on any thoughts he may have…_ of course, that was forgetting the _other_ boy dressed in green. Idris, who had shown up at the last minute and very nearly killed Jay. _The longer we put off figuring out his motives and reason for showing up, the longer we have to worry what he could be planning._

That didn't mean Idris would be truthful to their questions, the boy could easily lie about it, but Wu believes that, with all of his ninja present, one of them would be able to suss out any lies.

 _And Kai, at least, is unlikely to let anything he says go unchallenged._ The red ninja, as expected, had set up in a corner where he could easily keep an eye on Viperae and Idris.

Despite the importance of knowing the other's motives, Wu also couldn't deny the fact that everyone who had been on the island needed to get a good meal and into some clean clothes. This whole mission had been slowly wearing them all down, and they were less likely to have sharp minds right now, which was important.

 _Or maybe I'm just postponing the inevitable._ Maybe. _Maybe a cup of tea will help to clear my head a bit._

It had been far too long since he'd had any tea.

* * *

"Here we are!" Nya announces, coming out of the kitchen with a tray full of steaming mugs. Kai makes another audible groan as he's handed his cup, but dutifully gulps it down anyway, making a face as he does. The master of water continues on, handing out cups to everyone who asked for one.

"Hey, Doll, got one for me?" Ronin asks, stepping into the room.

"Don't call me 'Doll.'" Nya says with less anger than Wu would have expected from her, and then gestures to the kitchen. "There's more tea in the kitchen, so feel free to help yourself."

"What, I don't get the same courtesy that your other guests do?" Ronin asks with a smirk.

"Well, I could get it for you," Kai says, a dark glare appearing on his face. "I'll even make sure it's nice and _hot._ "

"Kai…" Nya groans. "I can take care of myself."

"What? I was just offering to get him a cup of tea." Kai replies, not even trying to sound innocent.

"You know what, I think I will just help myself." Ronin mumbles, heading towards the kitchen in a wide arch away from the red ninja.

Nya gives her brother a pointed glare, which he just returns.

"…I believe it is time we got started." Wu speaks up, bringing everyone's attention to himself.

"What?" Cole speaks up, brows furrowing. "I thought you wanted us all to eat and stuff first."

"I did." He concedes. "But if we are all just going to remain at each other's throats until we do, then I believe that it is best we start now."

Out of the corner of his eye he sees Idris shift nervously.

"I agree." Garmadon says, although he doesn't once glance over at Wu, instead he was focused entirely on Idris. "Why don't we start with just who you are."

It's amazing to see the boy's nervous behavior change the instant his brother speaks to the blond, being replaced instead with a quietly burning hatred. Glancing at Garmadon, he doesn't seem surprised by it.

"I… am Idris Garmadon." The boy proclaims, voice hard. "Your son."

"You…" Garmadon studies the boy's face thoughtfully before realization settles in. "Your mother wouldn't happen to be Koko, would she?"

"She is."

"Dad?" Lloyd speaks up unsurely, glancing between the two. "Who's Koko?"

That was something Wu would like to know as well. He couldn't remember his brother ever hanging out with anyone named Koko.

"She… she was a… a fling, I suppose." He admits, appearing a bit ashamed. "I met her long before I ever met your mother, things between us had been over for a while before I'd ever met her." Glancing over at Idris sadly, he adds. "I never knew she was pregnant."

"Of course not." Idris seethes. "Why would she tell you? You're evil."

Garmadon doesn't say anything, looking stricken by the words. No doubt he felt he couldn't deny them. At the time he knew her he was doubtlessly evil.

 _Although, not irredeemably so, if it was before Misako._ Wu has to remind himself. _…no, that was true even after Misako, as well. Lloyd proved that._

"He's not evil!" Lloyd speaks up in his father's defense. "He would have never done any of that if it weren't for the great devourer's venom!"

"How convenient." Idris scoffs.

"If I may interrupt." Zane speaks up coolly, pausing to make sure he's gotten everyone's attention. "If your… liaison with Koko was before you'd ever met Misako, doesn't that make Idris Lloyd's older brother?"

"Yeah, they'd be half-brothers, right?" Cole speaks up.

"But he looks like he's around the same age as me." Idris points out. "If that's true he should be younger than me."

"Ah, well… there was a little mix up with some aging potion… but that isn't what's important." Lloyd shakes his head. "Just what the heck were you doing here? Why did you attack Jay? You said you didn't think he'd die, but what did you _think_ was going to happen?!"

At the reminder of his own actions Idris' face grows solemn.

"I… they told me that it'd just free him from the control of the Overlord."

"Who are 'they'?" Wu asks.

"…the Light's Hope." He replies after a pause. "They approached me, told me that I was actually the green ninja, and that they needed my help." Taking a deep breath, Idris rubs a hand over his face. "In hind sight I shouldn't have listened to them. Me? The green ninja? It's just too good to be true…"

"You _are_ the green ninja." Viperae speaks up suddenly.

"What?" Idris asks, disbelief clear.

"Why would you think that?" Garmadon asks, brows furrowed.

"I tested Lloyd with the golden weapons." Wu says, a tad challengingly. "They revealed him to be the green ninja."

"You used the golden weapons?" Viperae raises an eyebrow at Wu, one hand going to his hip. "The only thing gold is good at finding is more gold. Energy to find energy. While he might be the _golden_ ninja, he isn't the _green_ ninja."

"But what about the prophecy? I defeated the Overlord." Lloyd says.

"You succeeded in pushing the darkness around, just as the snow spirit did after you." Viperae says seriously. "You fulfilled the prophecy of father facing son, but not in the green ninja defeating the Overlord… that was only accomplished with the imposter pup's power."

"How are we even meant to believe anything you say?!" Kai snaps, moving to stand. "You act like this expert on everything and any god damn thing!"

"I don't care what you choose to believe." Viperae says a tad haughtily, only serving to make Kai angrier.

"I think there's merit to what he's saying." Zane speaks up before Kai can start yelling again.

"What the hell are you talking about?" The master of fire looks at the nindroid as if he'd lost his mind. "Just what about what he's saying makes any sense to you?"

"Think about it for a minute." Wu is debating stepping in as the two opposing elements look like they're about to start a fight, but thankfully Cole does it first.

"The Overlord _has_ come back three times, even after Lloyd supposedly defeated him the first time." The ghost puts a hand on his friend's shoulders, giving each one an imploring look. "And, it seems like he's finally been defeated, after Idris appeared. It does seem like it could be possible."

"Uh, he doesn't look very defeated to me." Kai gestures to the man in question. "Also, I'm sure we have more clothes now, so would you please put on some fucking pants?!"

Viperae was still just wearing what Garmadon had given him before, leaving most of his legs completely bare. He raises an eyebrow at the red ninja's outburst, a sly smile coming over his features after a moment.

"Why, I find it hard to believe that you're truly bothered by my state of dress. After all, you've been eyeing me pretty intensely for a while now." He immediately bursts out into laughter at Kai's look of disgust.

"We've gotten off track." Wu speaks up, giving Viperae a cold look. "So you believe Idris has some power that makes him better suited to being the green ninja, and you two, Cole, Zane, also believe what he purposes could be true?"

"Yes, I do." Zane says without preamble.

"I mean, maybe?" Cole shrugs, running a hand through his hair. "I just think it could be possible."

"I see." Wu takes a minute to think, eyeing Idris, who appears to be a tad lost on what to do. "What do you think?"

"I…" Idris hesitates. "I mean, it was just something that Chessed said to get me to do what she wanted, right? She lied about no one getting hurt, so she probably lied about that, too."

"Hm…" He takes a long sip of tea, finding it's already gotten cold in the commotion. "For now we have no way of knowing, especially with the golden weapons no longer here-"

"You _still_ believe in such a faulty method?" Viperae scoffs. "I _told_ you, all it could tell you is his element, which is energy."

"My father believed that the golden weapons would reveal the green ninja." Wu sets his cup down sharply, moving to stand eye to eye with the supposed ex-villain. "If I am going to trust anyone, it would be the first spinjitzu master, and not the man who tried to destroy Ninjago."

"Your father was a backstabbing liar." Silence fills the room after those words are spoken, not because they were said, but because of who says them. All eyes swivel to Zane, who looks equal parts shocked at his own outburst, and completely sure of his convictions.

"Zane…?" Wu isn't sure what to ask. Just where had that come from? Why would one of his own ninja hold such a belief? For how long had he been harboring this secret hatred of the first spinjitzu master?

"Um… I'm guessing I missed something pretty big?" Jay's voice, tinged with laughter, carries from the doorway.

Everything was swept to the wayside as everyone had the same thought.

 _Jay's awake._

End chapter fifty one

* * *

AN: Hey, everyone. Thanks for sticking with me so far, I know it's been a while since I last posted a chapter. To be completely honest I vastly underestimated how demanding of time and energy this season is...n But, thankfully, with Christmas prep over with, I managed to write not one, but two chapters! In celebration of the holiday, and a little apology for the long wait, I decided to post one today and one tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, favorites, and follows this story!

Happy Holidays ^u^

-Kit


	53. Chapter 52

Jay shifts, trying to brush off the feeling nagging at him. He just wanted to sleep for a little longer, was that too much to ask? But, of course, the feeling that he was meant to be doing something couldn't be ignored, no matter how much he buried his face into his pillow.

An earthy sent fills his nose as he does, and the confusion only adds onto the nagging feeling, and with a small huff Jay finally gives up on trying to stay asleep no matter how tired he is. Forcing his limbs to move, he pushes himself into a sitting position and attempts to rub his tired eyes, only to jump in shock when two blades spring out an inch away from his face (he may have let out a small shriek, too, but no one can prove it).

 _Well, I'm certainly awake now._ He thinks, putting a hand to his chest, trying to get his heart to stop pounding. _How the heck does Hykos not trigger this thing every time he moves?_

Like a light Jay realizes what the nagging feeling was, the memories that had been sitting just under the surface of his tired mind snapping into place. Glancing down he reassures himself that he's no longer dead. Sure, he was fairly certain he wouldn't have Hykos' hidden blades if he were still dead, but he still needed to check his clothing and surroundings to completely convince himself.

 _Still the same black getup that Hykos chose to wear…_ and a quick glance around shows the he's in their room on the Destiney's Bounty. _Except… I'm in Cole's bed?_

That explained the earthy smell, then.

With fingers that don't want to cooperate, Jay struggles to reset the hidden blades before unstrapping them from his arm. All of his limbs feel sluggish, slow to respond, almost like when you spend too long out in the cold and your fingers start to go numb. Eventually, with the use of his teeth, he manages to get it off and stashes it under Cole's pillow for the moment.

 _I'll have to mention it to him before he goes to bed._ The last thing Jay wanted was to have Cole going to lay down for the night only to have his pillow attack him.

Light headedness afflicts the master of lightning when stands, and he takes a moment to just breathe, trying to get a handle on things. When he's certain he'll be alright he steps out of the room. As soon as he does, two things float on the air to him. The first was the delicious smell of something cooking, making him realize just how hungry he is, and the second was the sound of a heated conversation.

Both peak his curiosity, and he heads in their direction. The conversation seems to get more heated the closer he gets, and no one seems to notice as he steps into the doorway.

"If I am going to trust anyone, it is going to be the first spinjitzu master," Wu says, standing eye to eye with Hykos', staring the other man down. "and not the man who tried to destroy Ninjago."

"Your father was a backstabbing liar." The words cut through the room, causing everyone to turn to Zane in shock. The nindroid himself looks shocked, too, but sure of what he said.

 _I am so lost right now._ Jay thinks.

"Um… I'm guessing I missed something pretty big?" Jay speaks up, trying to laugh off the tension in the room. At first it doesn't seem to work as everyone turns to gawk at him, but then Lloyd breaks the tension.

"Jay!" He yells, sprinting forward to wrap the blue ninja in a hug, nearly knocking him off his feet. "You're awake!"

Everyone gathers close, all giving him similar looks of happiness, and Jay can feel his face get a tad warm under all the attention.

"Yeah…" Jay laughs again, in embarrassment this time, his eyes going over each and every one of his friends. He feels like he needs to say something, anything, so he says the first thing that pops into his head. "Good morning?"

His friends break out into chuckles, Lloyd finally letting him go and stepping back to give him a beaming smile.

"It's afternoon, Jay." He tells him, wiping away a few tears that no one mentions.

"Is it?" Jay asks, a sheepish smile coming over his face. "I guess Sensei's pretty mad I slept through morning training, then?"

"Geez, Jay." Cole shakes him head, coming over to pull Jay into a one arm hug, giving him a sad smile. "After everything that's happened you're going to make jokes right off the bat?"

"What else am I supposed to do?" The blue ninja shrugs helplessly, even as he feels the weight of everything beginning to settle in on his shoulders again. "I'm just happy I'm alive."

That brings a somber note back to the group, everyone's face seeming to drop at the same time.

"About that." Zane speaks up, brows pinched with worry. "I would like to check your vitals and reaction times. You were dead for a worryingly long time, so it would be best to ascertain whether or not there was any lasting damage as soon as possible."

"…right." Jay strains to keep his easy smile in place, but he finds it quickly crumpling at the thought that he might have brain damage or something.

 _And it would be my fault if that were the case, wouldn't it?_ The thought springs up, mind flashing back to the meeting with the lightning dragon. _If I hadn't wasted so much time on indecision…_

A hand gripping his wrist gently breaks him from those thoughts, and he glances up curiously at Zane, who looks away immediately and lets go after a heartbeat.

"I figured you'd rather not do this crowded in the doorway."

"Ah… yeah." Jay nods, then stops because that brings back the light headedness from earlier. He steps into the room, the others stepping back to give him room as he does, and then faces Zane. "I'd ask if you'd want me to sit down or something but… I don't think we have any chairs."

"Not unless you want to sit on a person." Hykos speaks up.

"I don't think that'd be very comfortable." Jay replies, giving the other a pointed look. "I mean, people weren't designed to be sat on. They have too many pointy bits."

"Hm~, you do have a point." He can already hear the teasing tone in his voice, and braces himself for the other's next words. "I wouldn't have considered that, because I've never done it myself, but you seem to have experience in that regard."

"You don't need experience to know sitting on a person wouldn't be comfortable!" Jay retorts. "It's similar to knowing that a sleeping bag placed over rocks is going to be uncomfortable… just, you know, replace the rocks with bones, and the sleeping bag with muscle and skin."

"Well, this is officially weird." Kai mutters.

"…Why don't we do this in another room?" Zane offers. "The beds should be a decent height to sit on."

"Sounds good!" Jay says, perhaps a bit too cheerily. "I'll, uh, lead the way."

Spinning on heel was his worst idea yet, because everything goes black for a second, and when it comes back he can hear and feel the commotion around him. There was a pair of arms gripping him, keeping him from having hit the floor, and the others were crowding around him now, worry on all their faces.

"S-sorry…" He mumbles, slowly regaining his footing and standing under his own power. "I'm fine, now."

"What was that?" Lloyd asks worriedly.

Lies spring to his tongue, false reassurances coupled with a smile to disarm their worries, only for it all to fizzle out in a second as Zane speaks up almost right next to his ear.

"That didn't seem fine, Jay."

The master of ice had been behind him when he'd fallen, it made sense he'd be the one who had caught him, and of course he'd want to stick close in case he fell again. And his power over ice was the reason Jay felt shivery… yeah… that was the only reason.

"I'm just a little light headed." He says breezily, one hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck. "It really isn't a big deal."

"You almost _died_." Kai says seriously, arms crossed as he stares down the blue ninja. "This _is_ a big deal."

"Yeah, there's no shame in not being okay after what happened." Cole agrees.

"It's only an issue if I move too fast." He assures them with a genuine smile, feeling touched at how much his friends cared.

"You better not be hiding anything." Nya speaks up, giving him a teasing smile. "I won't forgive you if you are."

The words aren't meant to be manipulative, he thinks, but it's far too similar to other comments she used to make that it instantly brings up ugly feelings in his chest. He grits his teeth, forcing down any response he could have to that, and instead forces his legs to start walking.

"Let's get this exam over with, then." He laughs, but it sounds hollow to his own ears, as he can't drum up the same energy he usually does.

He must have walked too fast, because halfway down the hall the world begins to shift in his vision, and he realizes that he feels like he isn't getting enough air, even when he takes deeps breaths. He stumbles to a stop, eyes clenching shut against the nauseating visuals, but the feeling of the world moving persists still.

A warm hand grips his shoulder, helping to ground him, and at first he thinks it might be Cole until he hears Zane's unusually soft voice suggest.

"Why don't we just do the exam here?"

Jay slowly opens his eyes, relieved to find that the world isn't moving any more, even if he still feels a tad breathless.

"…Yeah."

So that's how he finds himself sitting on the floor of the hallway, the master of ice kneeling before him, with the rest of their friend's (and Sensei, and allies, and the person who looked a lot like Lloyd) crowded around to watch.

"Jay… are you aware that your reaction times are delayed by about two seconds?" Zane asks after he finishes.

"What?" He can feel his brows furrow. "I-, are you sure?"

"It has a bit of variance, but yes, I'm certain."

Two seconds. A two second delay wasn't all that much, not much more than a thoughtful pause, but in a fight it could mean life or death. Battles were won in a split second, after all…

 _It doesn't feel like there's a delay, though._ And that makes him want to ask Zane if he's absolutely sure he's certain, but he bites his tongue instead. _Does this mean that I can't be a ninja anymore?_

"There's a chance that it'll resolve itself on its own." Zane goes on to say. "Alphonse did mention that it took some time for a soul to settle back into a person's body, so despite you're awakening, your soul might not have had enough time to fully reintegrate." He gives a soft, reassuring smile, one that he'd never seen on the nindroid's face before. He wasn't exactly the best at offering comfort to other people. "I'll keep checking your reaction times every so often until we get back to Ninjago, and if there's no change we can take you to see a doctor."

"…Right." Jay lets out a little breath, letting himself relax.

"Hey, I think your foods done." Ronin calls out into the hallway, looking annoyed.

"Oh, right!" Zane jolts to stand. "It's not burned, is it?"

Had… had he _forgotten_ he was cooking something? Zane _never_ forgot _anything_ , even before he knew he was a nindroid who could just set a literal internal timer for things.

"Skylor kept an eye on it, so I doubt it." Ronin motions behind himself with a thumb, as if he could point out the restaurant owner despite her not being in the same room or even remotely visible. "But I gotta say, you ninja really are terrible hosts, making your guest do all the work."

Zane doesn't answer, just brushes past the criminal as he heads towards the kitchen to check on his food.

* * *

"Here." Cole says kindly, holding his hand out to Jay to help him stand up.

Lloyd counts the seconds in his head.

 _One spinjitzu… two spinjitzu…_ Jay glances over, taking note of the hand on offer.

"Ah, thanks." He says sheepishly, accepting the offer. Cole begins to pull, using his incredible strength to mostly pull the blue ninja to his feet without any help, throwing him off balance.

 _One spinjitzu… two spin-_ Jay finds his footing, and sheepishly thanks the black ninja again before they begin to make their way to the dining room.

Zane was right, Jay's reactions were slowed. It was obvious when you were paying attention to it.

"Lloyd?" His Dad's voice stops him from following after the others, and instead he turns to his dad with a questioning look. "I just… I wanted to make sure you were alright."

Lloyd glances over his shoulder, making certain that the others are gone before he lets his face drop.

"Dad…" He isn't sure where to start, but he's thankful that his dad doesn't push him to speak, only pulls him into a hug. "I… I'm happy that's Jay's alright, but…" Guilt rises to the surface as the thoughts he'd been trying to ignore this whole time come back with a vengeance. "If I hadn't saved Jay, I might have been able to save Mom…"

"Lloyd…" He Dad says sadly, pulling back from the hug to meet his eyes. "Misako was the type of woman who never let herself regret her choices. She decided on what she wanted to do, and did whatever it took to achieve those goals." His eyes get a bit cloudy, and a small smile comes over his face as he remembers something. "She would be proud of you, too. For doing what you could do to help your friend, even if it meant losing the chance to bring her back."

"Misako would not have agreed to return, anyway." Wu speaks up, eyes full of sorrow as well. "She was a down to earth woman. She understood that one cannot remain in this world forever, that we should cherish the time we have, but to move on when it is over." He smiles sadly. "Her last thoughts were of your wellbeing… she truly loves you, in this world or the next. Never forget that."

Lloyd nods, still feeling a touch guilty, but knowing that they were probably right.

"Thanks Dad, Uncle Wu."

"Do not mention it." Wu says, trying for a sad smirk.

"I'll be here any time you want to talk, Lloyd." His dad promises, stepping back to let him go. "Now, why don't we go get some food before the others eat it all?"

"Actually," Wu interjects before Lloyd can answer. "I was hoping to have a minute to talk to you alone, Brother."

"…I see." Lloyd's confused by the sudden tension between the two. "You go ahead, Lloyd. We'll be there soon."

He hesitates, but does as his dad says.

* * *

Neither of the two say anything until Lloyd is out of earshot.

"What did you want to talk about?" Garmadon asks, cutting straight to the point.

"…I noticed how close you seem to have gotten with Viperae in such a short amount of time." Wu decides not to drag this conversation out any longer than it needed to be. Likely his brother wouldn't tolerate any beating around the bush, and Lloyd or one of the other ninja were likely to come searching for the missing sensei if they took too long.

Immediately his brother's face darkens, and Wu regrets choosing now to confront his brother on the matter.

 _I should have waited until after dinner, when everyone would be more pre occupied with squabbling over who got to use the shower next and whatnot._

"I have already explained my reasoning for giving him a second chance." He says, voice hard.

"I know. I was not calling that into question." Wu tries to placate his brother. "But you two have been acting very… familiar with each other. Using your first names and all."

"Just what are you asking, Wu?" Garmadon presses, his eyes narrowing a bit. He probably knew exactly what Wu was trying to imply, he just wanted him to say it himself.

"I just wanted to make sure that you have not," Wu pauses here, trying to think of wording that would help his brother to see reason, only Garmadon didn't let him finish.

"Switched sides?" He suggests, raising an eyebrow. "Or were you thinking more along the lines of 'succumbed to his darker urges'?"

"Even after the dark matter has been purged, Viperae's attitude has not changed in the slightest." Wu tries changing tactics. "There is a good chance that the dark matter is not the reason for his horrible actions, but rather just a power that helped to facilitate them."

"…So the dark matter doesn't affect one's actions at all?"

"I… I am not saying that I believe you would have done what you did without the great devourer's venom-"

"Yes, you are." Garmadon's stare is cold, but lacking the fiery hate that it'd had when he was a villain. Wu had gotten used to that glare, full of hate, but this… this was chilling. "Do not pretend to care for me as a brother while you watch my every move for a sign of me 'returning to my evil ways'."

"I'm not-"

"Hey, are you guys coming or not?" Cole calls out to them, cutting Wu off before he can correct his brother.

"Of course." Garmadon calls back, only sparing Wu a cold glance before he leaves.

 _That… did not go as I'd hoped._ Wu thinks, rubbing away the headache that was beginning to form. _I will have to meditate on how to best approach this subject._

But first, he needed more tea.

* * *

"Alright," Echo says to Tai-D. "we should arrive back at Ninjago in a few hours."

Ronin had done a decent job of fixing the Destiney's Bounty, as far as Echo could tell. Well, that or the ship wasn't as heavily damaged as they'd originally thought. Of course, the two islands had shifted closer due to Clouse's actions, so the distance needed to travel between the two were shorter.

 _I hope that does not negatively impact the local flora and fauna._

Tai-D beeps a bit at him, reminding him that the food should be done about now. He thanks the small bot for the reminder, but decides not to go join his brother and the others. He did not want to leave his post once again and have the other's become disappointed in him.

He chats idly with Tai-D, checking every so often to make sure they're keeping on course. As time marches on a peculiar feeling starts, growing stronger and appearing on more spots as it does. Itchy, he thinks, and wonders if some of his wires had gotten crossed, or loose, to create such a strange sensation. His father had created him to do and feel many things, but itchy was not one of them. Still, as he drags his fingers over his skin he contemplates whether or not it'd be worth it to leave and risk disappointing everyone just to correct this minor annoyance.

It isn't until Tai-D lets out a worried beep that he realizes that his little bronze flecks are decorating the console and floor around him.

 _Rust?_ Is the first thought that comes to mind. Out near the salty sea air it could be quite an issue, especially without any kind of sealant as his father liked to complain about, but… this wasn't the color of rust, nor the texture.

Looking at where he was scratching he can see something tan and dull under the bronze flaking off of him.

"Tai-D, please keep an eye on our trajectory." The little bot gives him a salute. "And don't try and drive the ship this time, please."

He can tell Tai-D isn't happy, but he agrees, and with that Echo is off to find his brother.

"Brother?" Zane is exactly where he had assumed, with the rest of their group in the dinning room, bowl of soup in hand.

"Yes, Brother?" The other nindroid looks up, expression immediately shifting to worry when he gets a look at Echo. "Is something wrong?"

"I… am not sure." Looking down at his arm, at the dull patch surrounded by flaking bronze, he frowns.

Zane quickly strides over, taking his arm in hand, examining it himself.

"This…" He gently brushes his fingers over it, causing some flakes to come off and stick to his fingers. "What is this?"

"I do not know." Echo shrugs helplessly. "I do not have a finish that could come off, and it is not rust."

"What's up?" Jay asks curiously.

"Jay?" Echo queries, and gets a little wave in reply. "I am glad to see you are up."

"Thanks." The blue ninja chirps, setting his bowl aside, he slowly climbs to his feet and makes his way over, laying a hand on Zane's shoulder to steady himself as he leans on the master of ice and get a better look at Echo's arm. "What's up with you?"

"I started to feel itchy, and then after scratching this happened."

"I- oh." Some sort of realization seems to cross the blue ninja's face, then he winces. "Ah, Hykos, could you come take a look at this?"

The request seems to cause unease among most of the ninja, but the villain himself easily clambers to his feet and walks over to look. The two ninja move aside, Zane with a cautious look, and Jay with an almost guilty look.

Viperae takes his arm, much like Zane had, and examines it.

"Hm…" He hums thoughtfully, before going on to cheerfully say. "Well, congratulations, Pinocchio, you're the first to become a real boy~."

"I am Echo Zane, not Pinocchio. You may call me Echo, though, because it is less confusing that way." Echo corrects the confused villain, who just raises an eyebrow at him in return.

"You've never heard of Pinocchio?" The villain asks plainly.

"You're not going to get anywhere with him." Ronin speaks up. "The rust bucket doesn't even get sarcasm most of the time."

"I am not a bucket, nor am I rusty."

"Yeah, Yeah, I get it already."

"I do not think you do, because you continue to call me a rusty bucket, among other things."

"Pinocchio is the story of a wooden puppet brought to life by magic, who eventually becomes a human boy, or 'real boy' as they say in the story." His brother speaks up, staring at the villain intently. "Are you saying something similar has happened to my brother?"

"Yep~!" He replies cheerfully. "Just ask the blue jay here, if you don't believe me. He saw the whole thing, after all."

"Jay?"

"Well, uh, he's not… wrong?" Jay raises one shoulder in a half shrug. "I-, you know when we met up when you guys first got here? Yeah, well, you freaked out and kinda passed out, then Skylor kinda thought Hykos wanted to hurt you and touched us and ended up passing out, too… then we replaced a piece of your soul stone, well it'd be more accurate to say that Cryptor did it, and then afterward we kind of used the Ultra weapon to wish that you would turn human or something but the wording was weird or wrong and three balls of light shot out and I guess that means that Echo was one of the people who it effected."

"Jay, you're rambling." Nya speaks up, rolling her eyes a bit.

"Okay," Jay says shortly, lips pulling down at the corners a bit. "longer story short, we used the Ultra weapon to try and turn Zane human, but our wording was too vague, and we ended up targeting two other people as well."

"And Pinocchio here was one of them." Viperae adds.

"My name is not Pinocchio. I am Echo Zane."

"What I don't get is, why did he change first?" Jay turns to the villain. "Zane was hit first, right? I mean, they'd be within seconds of each other at least, right?"

"I can only assume the complexity of their circuitry and programming is to blame. As the more advanced machine, it will likely take longer for the magic to convert his form into that of a full-blooded human's."

"So… I am… human?" that didn't sound right. Human's couldn't understand Tai-D, not even his father, who invented him, but Echo could still understand him!

"Bingo~!" The villain chuckles. "See, Ronin? Pinocchio isn't as slow to catch on as you said."

"My name is Echo."

"Anyway, Pinocchio, I'd suggest you hop in the shower and wash all that off. It'd be bad if it stayed on your skin too long."

"Please refer to me as Echo."

"People have died from painting their skin you know, due to oxygen not being able to get through. It'd be quite sad for your new life to end so suddenly like this, Pinocchio."

"…That does not even sound anything remotely close to Echo."

"Welp, now that you know the dangers, why don't you run along Pinocchio~! I'm sure one of the others knows where the showers here are."

 _Does… he have a hearing impairment?_ Echo wonders. _No, if that were the case it would not be just my name that he mistook. He must have the same issue that Ronin does, since he cannot remember that I am not a bucket or a microwave, either._

He'd have to find some way to help them better remember these things… for now, though, a shower did sound nice. The itchiness was getting worse.

 _I'll ask brother for help later._ He decides. _He should know what to do._

End chapter fifty two

* * *

AN: Merry Christmas

-Kit


	54. Chapter 53

"Zane…" Jay starts slowly, trepidation clear on his face. "I… I'm sorry."

The master of ice blinks in surprise, turning away from where his brother had just left to go shower, to face the blue ninja.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I just-" He hesitates, gaze flickering around as if he could see the words he'd want to say floating in the air. "It wasn't right of us to do it…" His gaze lands on a point behind the white ninja's shoulder, and he can easily guess that the other is looking at Viperae. "We should have asked you what you wanted."

"If we'd have waited until he woke up, we would have lost our chance to act." Viperae says a touch dismissively. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but right now your soul is being kept here by the dragons gold that made up the Ultra weapon."

Jay's eyes widen, a hand going up to his chest, before he lets out a small, bitter sounding chuckle.

"So that's how they intended me to bring it back, huh?" He mutters, and Zane wants to ask what he means, but Kai speaks up, voice full of irritation.

"Why do you keep saying 'us', Jay?"

"Huh?" The blue ninja looks at the master of fire curiously. "Because… it's easier than saying Viperae and I repeatedly?"

"You're acting as if you were working with him." He takes a few steps closer, glancing over at Viperae suspiciously, before giving Jay a searching look. "Did you forget that he _possessed_ you? Basically kidnaped your body and endangered your life! He created a contract that, if he didn't fulfill it, would have killed you, and still threatens Lloyd's life!"

"I fulfilled my end of the bargain right away." Viperae huffs. "The blue jay was never in any danger from my contract with the dragon pup… and speaking of, it's clear he's done away with his contract, otherwise he'd already be dead."

"Speaking of that." Sensei Garmadon cuts in, turning to the green ninja with a concerned look. "Just how did you manage that, Lloyd?"

Zane notes Jay looking at his palm curiously, brows furrowing as his eyes go over the symbol burned into his skin.

"I just…" Lloyd hesitate, clenching his fingers, only to wince in pain. "I just destroyed the contract. If it doesn't exist, it can't be enforced, right?"

"Yes, but _how_?" Sensei Garmadon pushes.

After a moment's hesitation, Lloyd slowly pulls his glove off, revealing the bloodied bandages underneath, the bright red almost overtaking all the white.

"I cut it off… and burned it." He admits softly.

"Lloyd." Sensei Garmadon breaths out, looking a tad stricken. "You skinned your hand?"

"Just the part with the contract!" Lloyd defends, holding his hand close to his chest.

"Lloyd, you could have _died_ had it not worked."

"And Jay might have died if I hadn't!" He yells, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. "You said Mom would be proud of what I did to protect my friends…"

"You're right." Sensei Garmadon looks pained. "I'm sorry, Lloyd. I just… I worry about you."

"It's okay, Dad." Lloyd sniffles, wiping away his tears. "I get that. I worry about you too, sometimes… but I'm not going to stand around being useless when my friends need my help anymore."

Sensei Garmadon nods, a sad kind of understanding crossing his face.

"Why don't I change your bandage?" He offers.

"Yeah, it kind of looks like you could use a new one." Kai speaks up, trying to sound casual, oblivious to how clear his own worry is.

Lloyd agrees, and most of the others follow the family into the kitchen, where one of their first aid kits are stored. Zane moves to follow, only to feel a hand on his shoulder stopping him.

"Zane," Sensei Wu speaks up, grip tightening on the nindroid's shoulder just a touch. "can I speak with you alone for a moment?"

It's pure adrenaline brought on by memories of the past, of a very similar situation where his soul had been pulled out, that causes him to roughly pull his shoulder out from the older man's grip and harshly say.

" _Don't_." He does his best to tamp down the unease he feels and focus on Sensei Wu's shocked expression. "What would you like to talk about?"

"…are you feeling alright?" Sensei Wu asks after a moment's consideration. "Jay said something about you collapsing earlier."

 _Right, those who went to the island would not be aware of my problem._ He'd only agreed to tell the other's after they'd left. _I will have to explain to them what happened later._

"I am fine." He assures the Sensei, trying to calm his… pounding heart? Was it just his imagination, or the effects of that wish that Jay had mentioned? "Is that all you wished to speak about?"

"No." Sensei Wu's expression turns sharp, as he obviously begins to study the nindroid before him. "I also would like to ask you about what you said about my father earlier."

"…You mean when I called him a backstabbing liar?"

"Yes." Zane doesn't say anything after the other's reply. If Sensei Wu was curious about that, then he'd let the tea loving Sensei ask his own questions rather than feel obligated to explain himself. "Just what have you heard to give you that impression?"

"I haven't heard anything." Maybe it's hypocritical to watch his Sensei's every movement as he is. Sensei Wu had never given Zane any reason not to trust him in all the time he knew him. In fact he had once placed his unquestioning trust in this very man, yet now he couldn't help but expect some sort of attack.

"If Viperae has said anything to you about my father-"

"I told you, I haven't _heard_ _anything_ to change my mind about Lord Garmadon." At Sensei Wu's immediate confusion, Zane curses his slip of the tongue. "I haven't heard anything about the first spinjitzu master from Viperae."

"Zane…" Sensei Wu frowns. "I believe it would be best to have one of the others check your programming while we are still able."

"I… you think someone has messed with my programming?" He asks in disbelief.

"There was a period of time which he had free access to you that no one but Jay can account for." The Sensei says, giving him the same look he used to give the ninja when they were out of line. "And Jay was compromised at the time as well, so we have no way to be sure what he says is true."

"There's nothing wrong with me!" The master of ice can't remember the last time he'd felt so angry. "I just don't trust someone who would turn on their companion and _rip out his soul_."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sensei Wu denies. "My father would never-"

"He _did._ " Zane can feel the temperature drop, frost creeping out along the floor. "He did it to _me_." Seeing how speechless his words have left his Sensei, Zane pushes on. "Recently I've been having visions of the past, of _my_ past, and I've seen firsthand what your father was like… The only thing that makes your father better than Viperae was how history remembers him."

He could say more, but he takes a deep breath and calms himself down. This outburst wasn't like him, and although he didn't regret a single word he'd said, people were much more likely to listen to a calm explanation than they were one full of spite.

Sensei Wu doesn't say anything as Zane turns and heads into the kitchen with the others.

* * *

Hykos lets out a low whistle as he catches a glimpse of the wound on the dragon pup's hand. It was well done, a clean cut, edge showing that he didn't cut off any more skin than he absolutely had to. On top of that, his forethought to destroy the skin that bore the contract… honestly, Hykos could say he was impressed. The last person he'd left a similar contract on hadn't been so clever in trying to sidestep holding up his end of the bargain. The man had not only cut off his _entire_ hand, but also didn't _do_ anything to it afterwards (unless he'd buried it, which wouldn't have freed him until his hand rotted away enough to break the contract), just assuming that meant he was freed from it despite it still existing.

 _But saying that would be admitting that something_ _ **could**_ _have gone wrong with the dragon pup's actions._ Jun was focused entirely on cleaning and rewrapping the wound, face pinched with worry. _Would he get angry at me if he knew?_

The knowledge burns in his mind, he finds himself wanting to speak up, to test the man. Everyone had their limits, if he pushed hard enough he'd find them, surely, and that would be it. All the good will that Jun felt for him would be gone.

"Stop making that face." The blue jay whispers, poking his side.

"I have no idea what you're implying." He replies airily. "I'm not making any faces right now."

"First, it's impossible to not being making _any_ faces, unless you didn't _have_ a face, in which case I'd wonder how you eat and breathe." It's… interesting, following the hand movements that the blue jay makes while speaking. He'd been aware that the child tended to do it, but it was different to see it from outside of the body rather than within it. "And second, you look… lonely."

"Lonely?" He parrots, giving the child a disbelieving look. "How can I be lonely when I'm surrounded by you all?"

He studies Hykos' face for a minute before shrugging.

"You know, my Da would always say you didn't have to be alone to be lonely." He turns to watch the green ninja casually. "He'd also say that the loneliest people tended to put on the bravest faces."

"Is this alright?" Jun asks the dragon pup as he ties off the bandage. "Not too tight?"

"It's fine, Dad." He assures his father, giving him a slightly pained smile (no doubt the antiseptic used to clean the wound still stung). "…Thanks."

"It's no problem." Jun smiles, one hand coming up to ruffle the dragon pup's hair, before he straightens up. "It looks like it'll need to be changed again soon, though."

There's another poke to Hykos' side and the man rolls his eyes to the culprit and lets out a blunt.

"What?"

The blue jay doesn't say anything for a moment, looking to be thinking over his words.

"Um… I noticed you didn't eat much earlier." He can't help but raise an eyebrow at that. "I figured you'd be worn out after all the spell casting and stuff, and probably hungry, especially since we didn't eat much on the Dark island."

"Why, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were worried about me~." He laughs.

"I _am_ worried about you." The blue jay replies bluntly. "Even I could tell how exhausted you were at the end…"

He flicks the blue jay's forehead, watches him flinch back and give an incredulous look, before smirking and saying.

"I bounce back quickly, so worry about yourself."

The blue jay purses his lips, looks like he wants to say more, but then the snow spirit comes in, followed by a gust of cold air, catching his attention.

"Hey, Zane!" The master of lightning greets cheerfully.

"Hello, Jay." The hard look on his face eases, an easy smile taking the place of the frown on his face.

There was a long moment where Hykos was debating on leaning forward a bit and blowing on the blue jay's neck to see him jump, since he'd left himself open. Suddenly he feels a piercing stare and turns to see the matchstick eyeing him intently.

 _Maybe it'd be better to strike a pose?_ He debates. _Or maybe it'd be better to act and let the matchstick make a fool of himself?_

There's yet another poke to his side and this time he grabs the blue jay's hand before he can retract it, and pulls it up as he turns to face the child.

"Would you _stop_ doing that?" He hisses out. "Or I'll take it off the next time you do."

The last thing he expects is laughter, halting the advance of the blue ninja's friends to intervene.

"That's not going to happen."

"And why not?" Hykos can feel a frown pulling at the corner of his lips. "I've certainly done worse without even hesitating."

"A few reasons." The blue jay gently pulls his hand free from the other man's loosening grasp. "First, you don't have your blades anymore. They were on _me_ when we were split up, and I hid them where you'll never find them."

"We're in a kitchen right now." He reminds the master of lightning. "Plenty of knives to go around."

"True." He concedes. "But you'd have to get through _everyone_ here before you could even get to them."

"Most of that 'everyone' consists of _children_." He huffs. "That would barely be a challenge."

"Fine." The flat look in response makes it clear the other disagrees, but he doesn't push that issue. "There's one reason, above all others, that you can't argue, that _proves_ you won't hurt me."

There's a long pause, long enough that any delay in reaction time should have passed, before Hykos agitatedly asks.

"Well? Are you going to say what it is?"

" _You_ …" Another dramatic pause, accentuated with a finger poked into his chest. "like me."

"Excuse me?"

"You like me." He repeats, as if it's as simple as that.

"And just what gave you that idea?"

"If I'm _wrong_ ," The way he's smiling, so self-assured, is aggravating to see. "just tell me. I promise I'll stop talking to you. In fact, you'll never have to see me again… so, am I wrong?"

"You…" Hykos grits his teeth, brushing aside the child's hand from where it was still poking him. "are the most annoying brat I've had to deal with yet."

"That's not a no~." The blue jay sing-songs with a laugh.

"Thank god I have my own body again." He huffs. "I can finally walk away when you won't shut up."

He turns to do just that, only stopping when the blue jay calls out.

"Hey, Hykos?" He turns enough to give the child his attention. "Just cool it with the provocations, okay? You're putting everyone on edge and alienating yourself."

He doesn't respond, just turns on heel and marches out the door, passing by the second born as he does, and heads for the deck. He needed some air away from thousands of prying eyes.

* * *

There's a long silence in the room following the villain's exit. Idris isn't sure what to make of the scene that took place, and a quick glance around shows that most of the others gathered here didn't, either.

This is perhaps the worst time for his phone to go off, so of course it does. And, just his luck, it's his mom calling.

"Hey, Mom." He tries to sound casual. "What's up?"

"What's up?" He can already hear the frantic tone to his mother's voice. "I have been trying to call you for two hours now."

"Y-you have?" He winces. "Sorry, I must have been in a dead zone."

"…Idris, sweetie, where are you right now?" The worry in his Mom's voice was enough to bring up guilt. "When do you think you'll be getting home?"

"Ah… soon?" He tries to sound confidant in his answer, but he's fairly certain he didn't do a very good job at it.

"Soon? How soon is soon?"

"I'm… a few hours, maybe?"

"Idris, it's already getting late, do I need to come pick you up?"

"Wait, you're in New Ninjago city already?" That changed things. He hadn't expected his mom to arrive for at least another day or two.

"I wanted to surprise you…" She sighs. "I suppose I should have made sure you'd be home beforehand."

"Yeah, sorry about that…" He groans. "I kind of… ran into someone-, my Dad, I mean, and I… um… I agreed to spend some time with him."

He didn't like lying to his mom, but he couldn't exactly tell her the truth, either.

"You did?" Her surprise was clear. Not that he expected otherwise, he'd made his opinion about his father very clear to her. "Oh, sweetie, if you had told me you wanted to meet your father I'd have gone with you."

"It wasn't planned or anything."

"Still, I would have liked to be there for you." She replies sadly. "Although I am glad that you're giving Garmadon a chance."

"Yeah…"

"And you're planning on spending the night at his house?"

"That's the plan." He says weakly, because he couldn't say that he was stuck on a ship making its way back to Ninjago right now.

"If you change your mind, no matter how late it is, call me and I promise I'll come pick you up. Okay?"

"Okay, Mom." He can't help but smile a little. "I got to go now."

"Alright. I love you, and sleep tight."

"Love you too."

The phone clicks off with a small _boop_ and he puts it away.

"So… that was Koko, I presume?" Garmadon speaks up, looking a touch conflicted. Idris doesn't trust himself to speak, so he just nods in answer. "I see."

"Um, who's Koko?" Jay speaks up. "I mean, I know she's that guy's mom. That much was clear, but you seem to know her. She your hot chocolate dealer or something, Sensei G?"

" _Dude_." The ghost stifles a chuckle.

"She's an Ex." Garmadon explains simply, before turning back to Idris. "And I take it she isn't aware of what you've been doing?"

"No." Idris admits. "She isn't."

He loved his mom, truly, but she was a little overprotective at times. There wasn't a chance in hell she'd let him go to the Dark island to fight the Overlord and his father… even if his intention had been to save the person who had been possessed.

 _Which reminds me._ He thinks, meeting the blue ninja's curious eyes.

"Ah… I just wanted to apologize for earlier…" He cringes a bit at how awkward he sounds. "I didn't mean to… _kill_ you."

"Oh yeah, I was meaning to ask about that." The blue ninja turns to the others. "Why is the murder clone on our ship?"

 _I should have expected he wouldn't just forgive me for killing him._

"He helped to bring you back, too, Jay." Lloyd says. "We used the Ultra weapon… together."

"Also, my name is Idris." He adds, not wanting to be called 'murder clone' of all things.

"The dragon of lightning told me I'd been offered a gift, but it didn't say by who." The master of lightning says lightly. "I guess I should thank you guys, then."

"You really don't need to thank me, considering I was the reason you were dead in the first place." Idris says quietly.

"The… Lightning dragon?" Garmadon asks.

"Well, considering it called me its 'champion' I figured that it would be a dragon of lightning. Although it was a _lot_ bigger than wisp was…" He seems lost in thought for a moment before shaking his head, which causes him to sway a bit before regaining his bearings. "Anyway, it said that I'd been offered a gift, a second chance at life. There was a condition to accepting, though."

"What was that condition?" The ghost, Cole, asks.

"That I had to bring back the dragon gold gifted to humanity upon my 'final death.' I had no idea how I was supposed to do that, until Hykos mentioned that it's apparently attached to my soul now, so I guess that's how they intended to have me bring it back."

"You talked with a dragon?" Cole asks, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"I did! And my Mom was there, too. I mean, my Bio mom, not my Ma… and Uncle Al, too." His easy smile falls a bit as he mentions that. "I didn't even know he was dead."

"Alphonse?" Zane looks troubled. "He's dead?"

"Yeah, I asked him about it, but he told me he'd explain everything when we met again, so…" Jay shrugs. "I guess I'll have to wait a while before I get to find out what happened to him since the last time I saw him."

"Jay… Your Uncle was alive until very recently." The master of ice says seriously. "He's been helping us in our research into the dark matter that had afflicted you."

"If he's dead…" Kai speaks up, looking grim. "That means that Hiroshi's forest must have been compromised."

"Everyone we brought there is in danger." Nya adds. "And we won't be able to do a thing until we get back."

"In danger…?" Jay looks lost, but concerned. "In danger from who?"

"The Light's hope." Idris speaks up. "The group who sent me, with false knowledge, knowing that I would kill you…"

"Oh." He says softly, the sound hanging in the air as silence follows.

End chapter fifty three

* * *

AN: Hey! Happy new year, everyone. Thankfully I've gotten back into the swing of things, so I'll be doing my best to keep this story posting every Monday. It's kinda cool that new years is on a Monday, too. ^u^

Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone who left a review, favorited, and followed my story so far. Seeing how much you guys are enjoying this puts a smile on my face. Hope you all have a good year from here on out.

-Kit


	55. Chapter 54

The silhouette of Ninjago in the distance could barely be made out from the inky black that the sea became at night. The chill in the air enough to make Skylor shiver, but she put off going back inside just yet. While most of the others had followed the green ninja and his father into the kitchen to watch him get bandaged up, Skylor had chosen to head out onto the deck for some time to herself. Honestly, Lloyd wouldn't gain anything from her being there, and Kai was mainly focused on Viperae and Idris, so no one would notice her absence for the moment.

She was used to the hustle and bustle of a busy restaurant, of kitchen staff all working in tandem to get the food out on time… so the large crowd that was now on the ship wasn't off putting, by itself, but it was the knowledge she'd gained that had made it so. Her powers, ones that she hadn't had to think about in so long, never went away fully. It was why she was so good at reading people…

 _But I'm not actually reading them._ She frowns at the thought. _I'm using my powers to learn things that I wouldn't possibly be able to know otherwise._

She had to learn how to control it, to keep from invading the privacy of those around her as she'd been unintentionally doing for so long now.

It isn't long before she hears the door leading below deck open, and thinks that perhaps Kai had followed her anyway. Instead of the red ninja, it's Viperae who walks on deck, agitation hanging around him like a cloud. She hesitates, reevaluates why she would think that. His expression wasn't a happy one, furrowed brows and downturned lips, his posture was held stiff, and his pace was fast, barely sparing her a glance before he goes towards a different part of the ship.

She doesn't approach the ex-villain immediately, debating whether or not it'd be a good idea. She didn't think he would attack her unprovoked, even as agitated as he appears to be…

 _I've loved listening to and helping my customers with their problems so far._ She reminds herself. _Does it really matter so much how I figured out their issues?_

Yes, it does. But, at the same time, she wasn't using anything but the power she was born with… in the end, she throws caution to the wind and settles against the railing next to the ex-villain. This close she can tell the other is feeling a lot more than just agitation. The uncertainty is surprising. He'd never shown doubt in anything before now, not that she'd known him for more than a brief time, but…

"Did you need something?" He asks coldly, not bothering to put on his usual façade of smiles and sing-song tones. It left him sounding like a completely different person.

Instead of answering and giving the man something to fight or tear down in order to get her to leave, she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a hair tie, offering it to him as a kind of peace offering. It does the trick, catching him off kilter just enough to lower his guard.

"I usually carry one or two extra in case mine breaks." She explains, gesturing for him to take the hair tie, which he does slowly. She can see him eyeing her, trying to figure out her motives. It was a bit sad that even a small gesture like this had to be fueled by some ulterior motive in his eyes. "I figure you wouldn't have left your hair so long if you didn't like it that way, and I've found it easier to keep my hair tied back when fighting or working in the kitchen."

Well, in the restaurant it was kind of mandatory to keep her hair tied back, but she would do so even if that wasn't a rule.

Viperae seems to consider her words for a moment before slipping the hair tie onto his wrist and combing his fingers through his hair to pull it back into a low pony tail.

"So what did you want?" He asks again, voice softer this time. She could tell that the agitation he was feeling had dissipated a bit.

"I just wanted to talk."

"You mean you wanted to use me as a guinea pig for your powers?" He counters, a small smirk appearing on his face as she tries to deny his words, before waving it off. "It's fine."

"It… is?" She asks, before quickly adding. "Not that I am."

"It's not like there's any way for you to use your power to hurt me, and in hand-to-hand combat I have no doubt that I'd win." He replies a tad arrogantly. "So, go ahead and try whatever you'd like."

"…Maybe my power couldn't hurt you physically, but I could easily use it to dig up old traumas." She replies, finding herself frowning. "Not to mention the invasion of privacy involved."

"Why don't I save you the trouble, then, and just tell you outright I have daddy issues?" He snarks and she rolls her eyes in response. What else had she expected from the ex-villain? "You may be able to tell what a person is feeling, and choose your words from there, but you're far from being able to actually invade a person's privacy."

"But… I'm still gaining info that I wouldn't be able to get without it." She's taken off guard by his serious reply, even as he rolls his eyes to her response and seems miffed.

" _Anyone_ can do what you do if they train hard enough." He says flatly, before a thought seems to strike him and he smiles a bit mischievously. "You may have a leg up on them thanks to being born a mood ring, but it's not like you're reading their secret diaries to figure out what's going on in their heads."

"A… mood ring?"

"Yep. Although I must say I've never seen a mood ring made from amber before~!" He laughs at his own joke, but Skylor is too busy thinking about his words to react much to the teasing.

 _A mood ring._ Mood rings were just based on body temperature, and were highly inaccurate because of that, but… _It's stupid, but thinking of my powers as something more akin to a mood ring is actually comforting._

"Thank you." She says lightly, and that catches the ex-villain off guard more than any of her words or actions has so far. "I came over here thinking I'd be helping you, but I think you've helped me instead."

For a moment his façade is broken, the surprise clear on his face, before he covers it up. He can't hide the happiness he feels from her, though, no matter how deep he tries to bury it.

"We'll freeze if we stay out here any longer." He huffs, turning to head back into the ship.

"Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if you were fully dressed."

"You know, I don't actually _own_ any more clothes to put on." He says with an overblown, put upon sigh.

"I'm sure Sensei Garmadon would allow you to borrow some more of his clothes until you do."

Viperae hums softly, not quite agreeing nor disagreeing with her.

* * *

"Well, Echo should be done by now." Cole speaks up, breaking the awkward tension that had filled the room. "We should probably draw straws or something to decide who gets to go next."

Not that Cole was going to need to use the bathroom, being a ghost and all.

"Do we even have any straws?" Nya asks, looking over at Sensei Wu.

"Our guests should be allowed to go first." He says seriously, pouring himself another cup of tea. "I believe that after that those who were on the Dark Island for an extended time should go next, but I will leave the decision up to you ninja."

No one had any arguments against it. Kai suggests Jay go next, taking on the complaint that he was tired of seeing him wearing the black and purple getup that Viperae had chosen to wear. While they leave it up to the red ninja, Cole is sure that they all agree. With that the blue ninja leaves, rolling his eyes as he goes. Afterwards they end up playing rock-paper-scissors to figure out the order they'd go in.

"What are you doing?" Echo asks, stepping back into the room.

Everyone goes silent seeing the bronze nindroid (or, wait, could he still be called that now?) as a human. His skin was tan, his eyes were a pale yellow, and his hair was a coppery blond.

"Brother…" Zane starts, before appearing a bit lost on what to say.

"You look good, Echo." Cole speaks up, glancing over at the white ninja, who shoots him a grateful look.

"Yes, Cole is right." He agrees, giving his brother a small smile. "Do you like it?"

"…It is different than I am used to," He says slowly, thinking his words over. "but not bad. I do not _dis_ like it."

"It can be a lot to take in." The master of ice says with understanding, likely thinking of his own revelation about being a nindroid so long ago.

Cole could understand, too. Suddenly being turned into a ghost had taken him a bit of time to get used to, so going from a nindroid to human must have thrown him for a loop.

 _Of course, soon enough Zane would be human, too._ That's what Jay had said, at least, and seeing that one nindroid had already changed, Cole was apt to believe that they weren't lying or exaggerating. Not that he thought Jay would have any reason to lie to them…

"Cole?" Sensei Wu breaks the master of earth from his thoughts. "May I speak with you for a moment?"

"Sure thing, Sensei." He agrees easily, not thinking much of it. They step a little bit away from the group, who were all focused on Echo at the moment.

"Right now I am worried about Zane." The tea loving sensei admits quietly. "He is not willing to listen to me right now, though, so I was hoping you could talk some sense into him."

"I… about what?" Sure, things with Zane had been a bit strange since this all began, but the titanium nindroid seems to be as close to normal as he'd ever been before.

"You heard what he said about my father earlier." A frown overtakes Sensei Wu's face. "I believe that Viperae has affected his mind in some way. It would be for the best if you could convince him to allow himself to be scanned while it can still be done."

"I haven't done anything to anyone's mind." Viperae says, catching them both off guard. Obviously he doesn't care to be discreet like the tea loving sensei, as his voice is loud enough to catch everyone's attention. "There wouldn't be a point to brainwashing my followers."

"You still don't believe me?" Zane's face notably darkens.

"Zane, you are one of my most logical ninja." Sensei Wu looks at the white ninja with pity. "Surely you can see that what you're saying is impossible."

"Wait, is this about what he said before dinner?" Cole tries to clarify. "About the first spinjitzu master?"

"It's about more than that." Sensei Wu says gravely, sparing a glare for Viperae. "He believes that my father was the one who removed his soul."

"Is this true?" Sensei Garmadon asks, looking at the master of ice for confirmation.

"It is." He says, expression chilly, guarded. "Lord Bai Garmadon decided that my true allegiance wasn't to him, and so chose to tear my soul from my body, killing me."

"…I am sorry that he did that to you." Sensei Garmadon says sympathetically.

"I know your relationship with father was rocky, but do _not_ tell me you believe those lies about father." Sensei Wu's disbelief was clear.

"Father wasn't perfect, _Wu_." There's a hard edge to his words.

"I know he wasn't perfect, but to believe he'd use dark magic?"

"Why not?" Sensei Garmadon challenges. "On top of everything else he did, what is a little dark magic?"

"Everything else?" The younger scoffs. "You mean create the very foundations that Ninjago was built upon?"

"…You were always his favorite." The older returns the scoff. "Of course you're blind to his flaws."

"So this all boils down to father being stricter with you than with me?" Sensei Wu gives his brother a disappointed look.

"Do you have any idea what he resorted to, to try and remove the great devourer's venom from my blood?" Sensei Garmadon appears to be gritting his teeth. "You may have been able to live in ignorance of it, but I had to be there for his every failure, I had to endure his every attempt… and I can assure you that dark magic wasn't off the table."

Sensei Wu has nothing to say to that, looking pale.

"Dad…" Lloyd says softly, looking aghast.

A brief second of regret crosses Sensei Garmadon's face, before he steels it and speaks up clearly.

"Hykos, why don't we see about finding you some clothes to change into?" He doesn't stop when he passes by the surprisingly silent man, just gripping his arm and tugging him along after him. "You might have to roll up the sleeves a bit, but I'm sure I have something that will fit you."

"So, uh, I'm just gonna go and grab the spare clothes I keep in REX." Ronin says casually, breaking the silence.

Sensei Wu leaves shortly afterwards as well, without a word as to what he planned on doing. With him went their chance to ask about what had just transpired between the two sensei. Slowly they all move on, getting back on track.

"So… Idris?" Lloyd, still a bit pale, turns to the other blond. "You don't have any clothes and we seem to have a similar style as well as build, so…"

"Yeah, Mom would totally be able to tell if I re-wore this…"

With that the two blonds leave, with Kai following, likely to keep an eye on Idris.

"Do you think my bag survived Sensei Wu's Purge?" Skylor asks Nya.

"There's only one way to know for sure." Nya shrugs, and the two women leave.

"…Brother?" Echo asks softly, looking at his brother with concern.

"Zane…" Cole speaks up, the same concern on his face as well. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

The white ninja glances between the two of them, before letting out a small sigh, guard lowering.

"I… you know how I had been having those episodes were my powers went haywire?" They both nod, although it's hardly necessary, as they'd be unlikely to forget them anytime soon. "Well, I was having visions when it happened."

"…So, wait, that one time you kinda went crazy on me?"

"Yes, I was having a vision then." Zane looks a tad embarrassed at the reminder, but it's hard to tell with the cool headed nindroid. "Anyway… at first I wasn't sure what to make of them. I thought, like you had said, that they were just dreams."

 _Did I say that?_ Thinking back, the master of earth did have a vague memory of a conversation about a memory Zane had had.

"But it was not a dream." Echo states.

"No. It was a memory." Zane confirms. "My Memory… of the life I had before." He looks lost in thought for a moment. "I… as I have said before, the first spinjitzu master was the one who tore out my soul and cut its anchor, killing me."

"…This sounds like a lot." Cole runs a hand through his hair. "But, since Echo already showered, and we're like one of the last ones to go, we've got time."

"Yes, Brother, we are both willing to listen." Echo says, looking overly serious.

"Thank you." Zane smiles. "I suppose I might as well start at the beginning… or as close to the beginning as I can remember, anyway."

* * *

Jay tried not to take too long in the shower. There were a _lot_ of people who still had to use it after him, and he didn't want to hear their complaints about him using up all the hot water, even though it was more likely that Echo had used up more than him on his long shower as he removed the bronze flaking from his skin.

 _And then Kai'll have to help out by heating up some more water quickly, but it'll be_ _ **too**_ _hot and end up scalding whoever uses it next!_ Okay, so maybe that wouldn't happen, exactly… but Kai would definitely be asked to help and complain about how it was all Jay's fault.

Wiping away the steam from the mirror Jay takes a moment to look himself over. He looked tired, which, yeah, he felt tired. He also looked a bit pale… and his eyes were still a bright shade of purple, although… now that he looked closer, the purple seemed like it might be fading. Maybe.

 _I should ask about that._ Hykos' eyes seemed to be same amethyst shade they were after the change had taken hold of him, but maybe the fading was just too subtle for him to catch it before? _I hope it isn't a permanent change._

While purple wasn't a bad color, with the blue he usually wore it'd make purple eyes pop oddly, in his opinion. And while he could change his usual wardrobe, switching out navy blues for darker shades, he couldn't exactly change his ninja color, which he would be wearing more often than not.

He's still mulling over clothing choices has he steps into their shared bedroom and sees Kai, Lloyd, and Idris. The latter has some folded clothes in his hands, and is awkwardly bowing to Lloyd.

"-don't have to thank me." Lloyd says with a small chuckle.

"I mean, we're being pretty generous considering what he did." Kai counters. "So a little gratitude isn't out of the question."

Idris straightens up, looking a tad guilty.

"He did help in the end, though." Jay speaks up, catching their attention. "Honestly, I'm surprised that you aren't sticking closer to Hykos, rather than Idris."

"Right now he's with Sensei Garmadon." Kai replies nonchalantly. "I trust him to keep an eye on that villain."

Jay nods, not bothering to point out that Sensei Garmadon trusts Hykos, so he was unlikely to be expecting any sort of underhanded shenanigans like Kai would. Heck, maybe Sensei Garmadon's trust in Hykos was exactly why Kai was more wary of Idris, even if he wasn't conscious of it.

Jay walks over and basically plops down on Cole's bed, finds his head reeling a bit, but thankfully not enough that the other's seemed to notice. If he hadn't already messed up the black ninja's bed earlier, he'd probably take more care in sitting down so that he wouldn't mess up the sheets too much, but both Cole and Zane had gotten used to everyone sitting on their bunks, since it was easier to sit on the bottom bunks.

"Who's turn was it to use the shower next?" Jay asks, realizing that he left before hearing any of that at the red ninja's pestering. "I should probably tell them it's free."

"I'll go tell Skylor." Lloyd offers, going to do so before Jay has a chance to reply.

There's a short silence in the room, Idris shifts awkwardly under Kai's intense gaze, and Jay spits out the first words that come to mind in order to fill it.

"Sensei Garmadon must have some strong genes." Seeing the dual looks of confusion on the other two's faces, Jay continues on. "I mean, you and Lloyd look _really_ similar… I wouldn't have guessed you'd have different moms at all."

"Jay…" Kai looks like he bites back a sigh. "Just, stop there."

"What?" Jay raises his hands in mock surrender. "I was just saying it's interesting."

"I'd prefer it if I took after my mom more, honestly." Idris says lowly.

 _Okay so that wasn't the best choice of topic._ Jay thinks as another awkward silence takes hold.

The blue ninja closes his eyes for a moment, not for very long he thinks, and then suddenly Kai right beside him, holding his shoulder and looking a tad worried.

"Dude, go to bed." He says admonishingly.

"I'm fine." He lies.

"You practically fell asleep sitting up." The red ninja deadpans.

"I… was just resting my eyes?"

"I will force you to go to bed if I have to."

"What, are you going to sit on me?"

"Yeah, if that's what it takes."

"Fine, fine…" Jay sighs, brushing off the red ninja. "I don't wanna get stuck smelling campfire all night."

"Smelling… campfire?" He raises an eyebrow at that.

"You, Mr. Master of fire, smell like a campfire." Jay scrunches his nose. "And I don't want that smell all over my bed..."

"Yeah, well, I've been sitting near campfires almost daily for a couple days, so excuse me for smelling like one." He huffs. "Just go to sleep already."

Turning to Idris, he basically shoos him out of the room, obviously not wanting the other to be there while Jay was unconscious, even if he was there to keep an eye on him.

Jay wants to laugh at how paranoid the red ninja could be some times, but without other distractions there to occupy his mind he realizes how right Kai had been. Jay was exhausted…

There's something soothing about snuggling into his own blankets after so long, and he finds himself falling asleep instantly.

* * *

"You know," Hykos says lightly, judging the length of the sleeper pants that Garmadon had handed him. "I'm finding it a bit hard to believe you knew nothing of your dragon heritage."

"Why is that?" Garmadon asks, feeling relief that the other wasn't asking about the conversation he'd had with Wu earlier.

"Your other son, the imposter pup-" He pauses, brows furrowing. "Well, I suppose I can't call him that anymore. Your first born pup, he's almost a full blooded dragon."

"I… are you sure?" Garmadon asks, surprised. "Koko was strong back when I knew her but… I don't think she was a dragon."

"He has more dragon blood than you do, so she must have a high level of it herself, even if she isn't a full blooded dragon." Hykos shrugs as if it wasn't a big deal.

"If what you're saying is true, though, wouldn't I be able to tell somehow?"

"Not at all." He hums, setting aside the clothing and giving Garmadon a serious look. One he'd come to realize the other often used when talking about something scientific, as he didn't seem to consider those a joking matter. "The only reason I can tell dragons apart from humans is that I can hear the difference in their soul songs. It's subtle, though, so if I hadn't spent so long studying them I'd chalk it up to the typical variance."

"And dragons can't hear soul songs?"

"I've never encountered one who can." He shrugs. "I suppose since most don't stay in a human form for long, they would have no need to be able to identify each other that way."

 _The next time I see her, I'll ask about it._ He decides. _Now that I know about Idris, I am going to do my best to be a part of his life, so we'll have to meet up sooner or later._

End Chapter fifty four

* * *

AN: Hey. Thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, favorites, and follows this story so far. I figure I should mention that I'm sick, so I may not be up to posting another chapter next Monday.

Fingers crossed I'll get better quickly, and hope you all have a great day.

-Kit


	56. Chapter 55

Even on her off days Koko got up early in the morning. It was habit at this point, one she couldn't easily shake even if she wanted to. Even though she knew he wouldn't be there, she pops into Idris' room (knocking before entering by habit as well). Seeing his bed empty was such a strange sight, as he'd never gone to a sleep over… although she does find herself smiling at the fact that he unpacked all his interlocking brick sets before he unpacked all of his clothing.

Stepping out of her son's room with a fond sigh, Koko thinks about her options for breakfast. Although she did like a homecooked meal, going through all the hassle when it was just her seems like a waste. And even with the TV on she wouldn't be able to keep herself from thinking about whether Idris was eating right, and how his first meeting with his father had gone. So instead of cooking breakfast or serving herself a bowl of cereal, Koko decides to go out and find a café to eat at. It would give her the chance to see the city a bit, and she wouldn't be stuck thinking about how empty the house felt with just herself there.

New Ninjago city was bustling this morning, everyone hurrying to get wherever they're going. Despite that there didn't seem to be much traffic, which made Koko wonder what her new commute would be like. There were plenty of signs around, adverts competing for attention, trying to imprint their product into the viewer's mind so they'd be more tempted to buy it the next time they went shopping.

 _I hope Idris isn't just eating cereal for breakfast._ She finds her mind wandering as a stretch of plain road allows her to lose focus, worries about Idris spending so much time with his father drifting to the forefront. It wasn't that she thought Garmadon would hurt their son, especially now that he's turned his life around… but perhaps she still couldn't shake her last memory of him, when she had realized he wouldn't give up his path of darkness for her. _It's hypocritical of me to hold his past against him while encouraging Idris to accept his father._

With that in mind, Koko forces herself to keep her text to Idris to a short good morning and an 'I love you,' which Idris parrots back. She breathes a little easier afterwards, knowing Idris would tell her if something was wrong, and does her best to put those thoughts behind her.

Koko steps into the first café she sees and steps over to the side to scan over the menu before she gets into the line. The last thing she wanted to do was hold everyone up because she didn't know what she wanted to order.

" _Augh_ … I cannot believe that they did this." A disgruntled voice drifts over the light chatter of the café. "Just what do these contraptions add? Nothing!"

Koko's eyes are drawn towards the source of the grumbling, an older looking gentleman who appeared to be at the front of the line, messing with one of the small tablets that had been placed at the counter in lieu of a cashier.

Behind the counter she can see one of the workers roll their eyes, no doubt not wanting to have to go around the counter to help the older man out. As much as it fills her with indignation, she tells herself she only knows part of the story. Rather than assume and assign blame, she moves on and choses to remedy the situation herself.

"Excuse me, sir?" She speaks kindly, approaching the man. "Did you need any help?"

"I know what I want to order." He huffs, turning to her with aggravation clear on his face. "It's just this blasted technology that's making this so difficult!"

"Oh? Did they install them recently?" She asks, stepping a little closer to see the screen. There are several tabs with different food items listed, which seems deceptively simple.

"No," He admits a touch begrudgingly. "but before there was always at least _one_ person working the register."

It would make sense to have someone to act as a cashier, just in case there was any issues, or someone wanted to pay in cash, since she doubted that the tablets could accept anything but cards.

"What do you usually order?" She asks, looking through a few tabs, checking his expression to make sure she wasn't overstepping any bounds.

"Oolong tea and a blueberry bagel."

A rather basic order. It didn't seem like he should have that much trouble finding what he wanted. Still, she went through and added the tea to his order, only to find the bagel wasn't where she'd expected it to be. All the bagels were grouped together, yet the Blueberry bagel was mixed in with the donuts. They must have put it there by accident.

"There you go." She says, stepping back to allow the man to finish his transaction and get into line herself.

It doesn't take long before she's ordered and has stepped aside to wait for her items to come up. The older man, who appeared to be waiting for his food as well, approaches her.

"I didn't thank you for helping me earlier." He says quickly. "My name is Dr. Sander Saunders, by the way."

"Oh, I'm Koko Koizumi." They shake hands. "And it's no problem."

"Still, I feel like I should do something to thank you." He seems to think for a moment. "I know, how would you like a private tour of my museum?"

"That's very kind of you to offer-"

"I can already tell you're going to say but, and I can assure you there is no need for any buts!" He cuts off her attempt to refuse. "I insist."

Seeing as she had nothing else planned for today, and there seems to be very little chance to get Dr. Saunders to change his mind, Koko agrees.

"Good, good!" He smiles at her, and hands her a business card that had the address of the museum written on it. "I will see you there."

With impeccable timing, her food is called out as Dr. Saunders makes his exit.

* * *

Zane finds himself understanding now why Echo had taken so long in the shower last night. After waking up with his pillow covered in small titanium flakes, he hopped into the shower to wash away the lingering evidence of his being a nindroid, but he kept finding more and more flakes that refused to wash off. His pale skin felt raw from the rough scrubbing, and he wasn't sure he'd gotten it all off, but the master of ice figured he'd taken long enough. The others were probably already awake by now, and although he likes his showers cold (so he wouldn't be using up any hot water), they were probably eager to get showers themselves.

 _And I need to check Jay's reflexes, too._ He hadn't gotten to check before the blue ninja had fallen asleep last night, and he hadn't been able to bring himself to wake him. He'd decided to check first thing in the morning instead, and it was likely that the others were getting up now.

"Good morn-, oh!" Echo's cheerful greeting is cut off as he sees Zane. He looks fascinated, which made sense as he was one of the few people here who hadn't seen him when he appeared Human.

"So… it worked?" Jay asks, sitting cross legged on Cole's bed along with the master of earth. "You're human now?"

"Yes, I'm human." _Again,_ he doesn't add, although he thinks it. He watches the subtle lowering of the blue ninja's shoulders and wonders just why Jay would be worried about it.

"You look like you did before."

"I do…" For a moment he finds Jay's statement curious, but then he realizes why he might wonder about that. Who he was before could have been anyone, with a face drastically different from the nindroid they'd all come to know, and they had no idea whether he'd change back to that when human again. "Anyway, are you ready for me to check your reaction time?"

"Yep."

"Okay, while you two are doing that I'm going to go take a shower." Kai speaks up.

"Wait a second." Cole interjects, stopping the red ninja from leaving. "Everyone knows you take the longest in the bathroom… I can't even shower, so wouldn't it make more sense for me to go first?"

"Yeah, but I called dibs."

"Dibs is the stupidest way to decide this!"

"Rock paper scissors?" Lloyd speaks up, holding out his fist, obviously wanting to get a chance at being the next to go.

Turning away from them, Zane sits down across from the blue ninja, who shifts to face him, and gets started. He's a little worried that his estimate will not be accurate, as he was no longer a nindroid, but he forgets that almost as soon as he gets a good look at the other's eyes.

The purple color had faded a good deal overnight, although there was enough to give it a noticeable purple tinge in right eye and the left looked… almost bruised. Except it was just the iris, nothing else, and the probability of him bruising _just_ his iris was astronomically small.

"Cole mentioned it, too." Jay says after a beat of silence. "The eye thing, I mean. He pointed it out and everyone pretty much grilled me on it, but I can't remember getting any eye injuries…"

"I suppose we will have to ask Viperae about it, later." Zane concludes, knowing there wasn't much he could do even if it was a bruise aside from offering the blue ninja an ice pack.

* * *

Although she doesn't rush to eat, it isn't long before she's done and heading to the museum.

"Ah, Ms. Koizumi, you're here!" Dr. Saunders greets Koko, turning away from one of the workers he'd been talking to. "Come, come, let's not waste any time."

He ushers her further inside, past the gift shop, and begins to go over some of the displays. It's interesting hearing the history behind Ninjago, even if she already knew some of it, and seeing the items that had been considered worth saving was intriguing.

"I hope you don't mind the empty spots here and there," Dr. Saunders says as they walk down an empty hallway. "We're working on rearranging things to make room for a new exhibit that will open later."

"It's fine." She assures him. "It just gives me a reason to come back once it's up."

"I am glad to hear that!" He smiles. "Although much of what will be in the exhibit will be taken from elsewhere in the museum, so there will not be much that you cannot see today."

"Hopefully I'll be able to bring my son along next time, so that shouldn't matter." Idris wasn't a history buff, but he did take an interest in certain bits of history, not to mention they didn't really get much time to do things as mother and son very often anymore. "What's the exhibit going to be called? I'd like to keep an eye out for when it opens."

"I am thinking of calling it the 'hall of villains,' but I am not certain." He twirls the end of his moustache thoughtfully. "Regardless of what I name it, though, it will open on the day of the departed. That should not be hard to remember."

"I'm guessing it's safe to assume it'll be about the various villains throughout Ninjago's history?"

"Yes, it will be. You see, the museum acquired a new piece that simply… inspired me." He seems lost in thought for a moment, before shaking his head and turning to the nearest painting. "Anyway, this is the battle of Hono Mizu, where the Iron Dragon twins fought to protect the citizens from the rock monsters that had begun to appear due to the increased volcanic activity in the area."

The image showed the two iron dragons locked in battle, one wielding a spear and the other a sword, against the rock monsters.

"…In the end all we could do was evacuate as many people as possible before the city sank." Koko breathes out softly, the memories of that day playing out before her eyes.

Dr. Saunders looks between the painting and Koko several times, comparing the picture of the Lady Iron Dragon and Koko.

"You're the Lady Iron Dragon?" Looking back at the picture one more time, he nods in acceptance. "Yes, in hindsight it's obvious, I'm just unused to seeing you without your iron armor."

"Yes, well, that's where the people got our names from, so I'm not surprised." She says softly, looking over the depiction of her brother.

"If... it is alright for me to ask, what made you finally retire?" He asks cautiously, looking at the picture as well. "After the Lord Iron Dragon's passing did not stop you, I would have assumed nothing more than a crippling injury or death would."

She purses her lips, thinking back to her brother's death. It had been… horrible. A slow poisoning that he had no hope of recovering from.

" _Hey, Koko."_ Her brother had spoken up as she brought him water. _"After I die… promise me you won't try and get vengeance against the people who did this."_

" _What? Idris, you're not going to die."_ She had admonished him. _"The town witch said she could help."_

She hadn't said that, though, just that she _might_ be able to help. And in the end it hadn't been enough.

" _We all die, Koko."_ He smiled sadly. _"At least this time I get to say I was first."_ She can't remember her exact answer to that, but it had made him laugh weakly. _"When we meet again, I want to hear about the happy life you led."_

"I finally understood my brother's last wish." She says softly. "And I had someone who needed me to keep them safe."

Idris, her son, named after her fallen brother. She had been hesitant on the name, not wanting Idris to grow up in the shadow of his dead uncle. It was why she had given him his father's surname, although Idris would have been happier with her surname instead. In the end it was fine; Idris was aware of his namesake, was proud of it even, and she never found herself comparing the two beyond their penchant for being a little too paranoid sometimes.

"My condolences." Dr. Saunders says sincerely. "I understand how hard it is to lose someone so close to you."

"Thank you." She gives him a small smile. "And I'm sorry for your loss, as well."

"If there is one good thing, it is that I do not have much longer to wait before I can see him again."

"You don't look that old, Dr. Saunders."

"Neither do you, Ms. Koizumi." He smiles wryly.

"It'd be Miss, actually, and just Koko is fine."

"Yes, well," He glances at the painting one more time before gesturing at the rest of the room. "Shall we continue on with the tour?"

She glances at the paining one final time herself, at the depiction of her brother's cocky smile, and before nodding and following Dr. Saunders further in.

* * *

"Okay, so the Bounty's still grounded, and we need to go check on everyone at Hiroshi's labyrinth to make sure they're okay… or find out what happened if they aren't." Cole explains, looking around at everyone gathered. "It's pretty far, but I think we can manage to use our elemental dragons to get there."

There's a beat of silence, most of the ninja turning to look at Jay, who, after a beat of silence, draws his shoulders up a bit defensively and says.

"What? I can still use my dragon!" Of course the flash of doubt across his face is enough to tell Cole he isn't too sure about that.

Zane had said that Jay's reaction times were a bit better this morning, and that seemed to be the case from what the master of earth could tell, but that didn't mean that he was alright.

"We have several people who can't use elemental dragons." Cole says evenly, trying not to sound like he's attempting to placate the blue ninja. Jay's shoulders drop back down a bit, but he still looks conflicted. Not wanting to push it, he turns instead to Ronin. "Can we count on you to fly a few people there in REX?"

The criminal's eyes flicker over to Viperae for a moment before he answers.

"Sure."

"Thanks for all your help, Ronin." Nya says gratefully, which causes Kai to roll his eyes.

Now they just had to decide who was flying with who, which thankfully didn't take too long. Skylor was riding with Nya (to Kai's disappointment and relief), Zane was riding with Echo (curiously the master of ice seemed a touch disappointed as well, although Echo seemed eager to see his brother's elemental dragon), and Jay was riding with him on his elemental dragon. The hard part came when Sensei Garmadon had refused to ride with Sensei Wu, meaning he'd be on REX with Ronin, and no one (aside from Jay) trusted Viperae enough to have him ride with them, meaning that he'd be on REX as well. Cole knew first hand that the ship wasn't very comfortable with four people inside it, and he was a ghost which made space a bit easier to manage… so that left Idris to find someone to ride with.

"I should probably head home, actually." He says nervously. "My Mom is worried enough about me as it is."

Kai doesn't look happy, and Sensei Garmadon quickly jots down the number for the phone he never uses and pushes it into his hands, but none of them stop him from leaving. As much as they didn't like the idea of a potential enemy out there plotting against them, there were bigger fish to fry.

 _You better be okay, Dad._ Cole thinks, trying to ignore the grumbling knot of worry in his stomach as they set off for Hiroshi's labyrinth. _You, and the rest of the Royal Blacksmiths._

He'd spent longer than he'd like to admit laying in bed last night thinking of everything that could have happened. But there was no way to know for sure until they got there, and Cole wasn't going to let himself lose his head because he was worried about his family... or that's what he'd keep telling himself, at least.

End chapter fifty five

* * *

AN: Merry Monday, everyone! First off, sorry about not managing to update last Monday. Between being sick and life throwing a lot more my way recently, I just haven't had as much time to devote to writing as I'd like. Due to that, and my realization that writing one chapter a week consistently was a little unrealistic of a goal for me, I'm pulling back updates to once every other week. I promise I won't put this story on hiatus, I'm far too close to the end and far too determined for that, so don't worry!

I'll end this was a hearty thank you to everyone who has stuck around, to those who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this story so far. Thank you all! ^u^

-Kit

Edit: Added in a few lines for clarity's sake.


	57. Chapter 56

Ronin grits his teeth, taking in a slow breath and trying to calm the itching nerves he felt. The criminal certainly didn't want to spend any more time than he had too around that demon masquerading as a human, and he wasn't sure he believes the convenient heel-face turn he'd had, either. The only reason he was still here, had agreed to take them to Hiroshi's Labyrinth, was because he needed to know Viperae's intentions with his soul contract. He was waiting for a good time to bring it up, or for the man to mention it himself, but neither had happened yet.

 _At this rate I'll be considered a part of their little 'team' before I can ask._ He thinks with a scoff.

Another disjointed bit of humming sets his nerves on edge again, and he has to force himself to relax. Ronin would never admit it to anyone, but he was glad that Sensei Garmadon had chosen to ride on REX. He didn't particularly care about whatever quarrel was going on between him and his brother, he was just glad he wasn't stuck alone with Viperae. No matter how much he needed to know about the future of his soul, he might have just left then and there if the only option was being stuck alone with that waking nightmare.

"How curious…" Viperae says with a thoughtful hum, leaning forward to peer out at the elemental dragons through the windshield. A quick glance over shows that his gaze is sharp, dissecting whatever he's looking at with his mind. "Jun, can you now summon a dragon like the second born?"

"…I never tried." Sensei Garmadon says a tad stiffly. "I didn't know Wu could, either."

"So it's a recent development?" Sensei Garmadon doesn't answer that, but Viperae doesn't seem to care, or never expected one in the first place. "They're clearly made from the element, yet they're harmless to the touch and solid enough for even those who don't wield the element to ride."

"Hykos…" Sensei Garmadon obviously bites back a sigh. "Could you… not do this right now?"

Viperae lets out a strange sounding hum in response, looking a bit sullen but not saying anything more. It was a minor relief, even if the silence that follows is tense. Ronin has never been so relieved as he says.

"We're here."

* * *

Although he didn't like the tents they put up and was dubious about the 'additions' that Ed kept talking about adding to the designs of the house to make it better, Hiroshi could easily say he'd never been happier.

That wasn't to say he didn't enjoy his time with Dan. Dan was his favorite person. But he enjoyed having so many humans here, now. They were all so different, and interesting, and… and despite his promise he found he didn't want them to leave. He wanted them all to stay and be happy here.

More than anything, though, he dreaded Alphonse's eventual departure. The forest spirit didn't have to be told to know that, and he found himself worrying more and more that he'd take Dan and leave.

 _If Dan goes back on his promise, that means I don't have to keep mine, either._ He kept telling himself that, so that if Dan ever did try to leave, he'd consider their agreement null and void. He'd be free to keep not only Dan, but everyone else here, too. _But then he'd hate me…_

And there was the crux of it. He didn't want Dan to hate him, but he also didn't want him to leave. There was no solution if Alphonse chose to leave and take Dan with him.

 _The only solution is if Alphonse never leaves._ He decided. Hiroshi wasn't sure how best to manage that, aside from killing him, though. _And if Dan ever found out, he'd hate me._

Although Hiroshi was good at directing where people went… his circular thoughts are cut off as people approach his boarders. Curious, he starts to head in the direction to get a better look.

* * *

Jay nibbles on his lip, shifting anxiously as Cole lands his dragon, and nearly tripping in his haste to get off. His parents are here, _had_ been here, at least, and apparently so had his Uncle before he'd died. Were they okay? His Da could be stubborn sometimes, and Jay couldn't imagine him leaving anyone injured behind.

He stumbles to a halt in front of the looming forest.

The last time he was here it had been moving unnervingly, a living maze that had left him confused, had split him off from his friends, and had attacked him. The memory was a bit of a blur, to be honest, but Jay was certain that this place was dangerous.

Yet now, it was so, so still.

Cole doesn't say anything, not a reprimand for Jay being so careless, nor a question at his sudden hesitance, he just puts a strong hand on his shoulder for a moment to give a reassuring squeeze before stepping forward to take the lead.

Behind them he can hear REX landing, but there's no time to waste.

"Hiroshi!" Cole calls, running up to the forest spirit ahead of them. "What happened?"

The forest spirit doesn't answer, stepping around the master of earth. His eyes meet Jay's for a moment, and there's a flash of memory. He's seen that look before… right before he'd been attacked. A shiver goes down the blue ninja's spine just moments before a commotion sounds back the way they came.

They don't have to go far to find it, to find Hykos strung up by the neck with vines, struggling to free himself. As they watch, horrified, more vines come down to pull Hykos' hands away from the vines around his neck, just far enough that his fingers can barely brush it.

"Let him go…" Jay breaths out, panic settling in his mind alarmingly fast.

"Why?" the forest spirit looks at him suspiciously. "…I thought you were another victim of his?"

The sounds of Hykos choking is sickening, small wheezes escape as his lungs fail over and over to pull in air through the constriction around his throat, only pushing what little remains out.

"There isn't time to explain it right now." Sensei Garmadon steps in, sounding far more composed than Jay feels right now. "Just know that you'll regret it if you kill him before knowing everything."

Hiroshi stares at Sensei Garmadon, Jay seriously debates doing something himself, hand itching to reach for a shuriken he could throw, but hesitating because it'd be suicide to wage war on the forest you're standing in.

Hykos' struggles begin to still, Jay takes a step forward, and then Hiroshi huffs. Hykos drops, hitting the ground hard, but begins to cough and gasp for air after a moment. Relief washes over Jay, who breaths his own sigh of relief and goes over to check on him while Sensei Garmadon begins to explain to the impatient looking forest spirit why he shouldn't murder the ex-villain.

He kneels next to the ex-villain, who pushed up onto hands and knees, with one hand on his neck, appearing to just be focusing on breathing for the moment.

"Hykos…?" Jay asks tentatively. He wasn't sure what to do, now that he was here. He glances over his shoulder at Zane, silently asking for help, and the master of ice begins to step forward when Hykos lets out a raspy chuckle.

"That was close."

"You… I can't believe you!" Jay yells as he realizes what the other man did. "I was worried about you, and you walked into this on purpose!"

"I-" His voice catches, and he winces a bit. "I wouldn't say _on purpose_ … just knowingly."

"That's the same thing!"

"Before I make up my mind," Hiroshi says forcefully, glaring down at Hykos. "…I want to know why."

Clearing his throat one more time, Hykos shifts, moving to bow his head to the ground apologetically, prostrating himself before the forest spirit. There's a shocked silence all around as Hykos speaks in a low, raspy tone.

"I'm sorry that I killed you… I-, it wasn't about you." It was weird to hear Hykos stutter. "That is, killing you wasn't my goal. This was the only place with enough magical energy to grow the amount of lotus breaker that I needed."

It's a terrible apology, and although Hykos is clearly trying his best, Jay isn't sure that'll be enough to convince the forest spirit.

"So that's it?" Hiroshi asks, face blank, although the shifting trees and grass around them is a worrying sign.

"If you want to kill me, go ahead." Hykos says seriously, moving up and meeting Hiroshi's gaze seriously. Jay wants to interrupt, to ask what he's saying, because the master of lightning is sure that the forest spirit will lose no sleep at night if he kills him, only it's Zane's hand on his shoulder that stops him. There's a reassurance in his ice blue gaze that tells Jay it'll be alright, and despite his nerves he trusts the master of ice, so he stays silent. "It's only fair…" Hykos goes on, oblivious to the creeping vines dropping down from the trees once more. "I'm just happy I got to hear the harmony here, once again."

"…Hear the harmony?" Hiroshi asks, vines halting in place for a moment.

"Of the soul songs here. You must know what they are, it's how you identified me when I was wearing someone else's face, after all." Hykos says simply, as if it were a trivial thing. "Most songs clash with each other. It makes the world very noisy… but here everything sings together in harmony. I suppose that's why you exist, because of that harmony."

There's a long pause, then the vines begin to pull away back into the treetops.

"…I'll be keeping a close eye on you." Hiroshi says seriously, although there was a sad look in his eyes. "If you try anything, I won't hesitate to kill you."

Hykos blinks, caught off guard for a moment, then he chuckles once again.

"I almost forgot how weak you are to flattery."

The forest spirit frowns (in a kind of pouty way, Jay thinks), and turns around to stomp off.

"Wait!" Lloyd calls after him. "We still need to know what happened!"

Hiroshi pauses, looking back at the green ninja quizzically.

"What do you mean?"

"We know Alphonse is dead."

Hiroshi is silent for a second, then furrows his brows in confusion.

"He's not dead."

"…What?"

"Alphonse isn't dead." Hiroshi repeats. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I saw him!" Jay speaks up, scrambling to stand and moving towards the forest spirit, earlier unease forgotten. "He was dead, in the afterlife! He can't be alive…"

Hiroshi looks a tad uncomfortable, glancing at the others gathered for some idea on what to do.

"…Are you sure you actually saw him?" Kai proposes, sounding unsure himself. "I mean, people have said they've seen some crazy stuff after near death experiences."

"Of course I'm sure." Jay feels a tad insulted. "And it wasn't a near death experience, I was _dead._ "

Maybe that led him to be a bit too blunt, which he regrets as soon as he sees the grimaces on most of his friend's faces.

"The only way to know for sure is to see for ourselves." Sensei Wu says sagely.

As they approach the camp that the group had set up within Hiroshi's borders there's no sign of any chaos or destruction, and the figures that come into view are all familiar ones. One by one Jay studies their faces, feeling relief when he spots his parents (and confusion when he sees Cliff Gordon). There's a moment wherein he doubts the forest spirit's words, and then he sees him.

"Uncle Al?" Jay speaks slowly, brows furrowing as he tries to piece this together with what he'd seen when he had died. "You… you're alive?"

Al looks shocked for a moment, his eyes going a touch misty (which he hastily wipes away, knocking his glasses askew in the process), before he laughs.

"You've grown so much since I've last seen you, Buddy." He walks up, face beaming with a mix of relief and happiness. With almost an awed tone, he whispers. "…They really did it."

"You're… dead, though." Jay mumbles.

"Yeah." His Uncle replies as if it was nothing.

"But you're here."

"I am."

"But… I saw you."

"Saw me?" Al blinks innocently, and Jay feels a surge of irritation. "When did you see me?"

"When I died!" He hadn't meant to yell that, regrets it as soon as he hears his mother's sharp gasp and glances over to see his parent's pale faces. He couldn't take the words back now, so instead he faces his grim looking Uncle and pushes on. "You were there, dead, and yet now you're here, alive."

"That's the gist of it, yeah." He tries to laugh it off a bit, a hand coming up to grip at something under his shirt. "I'm dead… and I'm alive."

"No."

"…No?" Jay's answer catches Al off guard.

"No, you don't _get_ to be alive _and_ dead!" He adds. "You aren't Schrodinger's cat!"

"I… Jay, Buddy, I know this must be shocking to you, to find out that I'm alive, but I promise I can explain."

"…Fine. Explain it, then." Jay crosses his arms, staring the other man down. " _Starting_ with just how and when you died."

Al glances over at Jay's parents, a look of confusion shared between the three adults, before he asks.

"Just what do you remember of the last day we had together, Jay?"

"I-, well, it's… a little jumbled." He admits, thoughts drifting back to the memory that he'd relived back when he'd been trapped in the black desert. That was the clearest his memory of that day had ever been… but that still didn't explain everything. "After the machine exploded everything went black… and then I never saw you again." Like his gut sinking, he realizes what the look in his Uncle's eyes his trying to lead him towards. Guilt he'd thought he'd long ago gotten past resurges, tears begin to prickle at his eyes and he shakes his head. "That can't be it… Why would they just stop mentioning you if you'd just died?!"

"Some things are just… hard to talk about." Al says sadly. "I love my brother, but I'm not the first person he pretended didn't exist because it was too hard to face that they weren't there anymore."

Out of the corner of his eye he sees his father glance away, shoulders stiff.

"It's my fault that you're dead." Jay states with a growing horror.

"No!" Al almost yells, startling everyone. He grips Jay's shoulders and stares him dead in the eye with determination. "You were _never_ to blame for what happened to me. I had a choice, and I made it… I'm _going_ to make it, I promise, I would never choose any other path if it meant your death."

"If I hadn't-"

" _James walker."_ Jay stops talking the minute that Al breaks out the scolding tone and full name he'd save only for the times Jay was truly misbehaving. "…I wasn't there to save you the first time."

"…What?" There's a strange sorrow in his Uncle's eyes and Jay is just finding it more and more confusing. "Just-, this is the second time you've said you'd tell me everything and you're just…"

Al pauses, once more gripping something under his shirt, takes a deep breath to steel himself, and then says.

"I don't want you to be mistaken, Jay." He grips Jay's shoulder a little tighter, meeting his gaze squarely. "I _chose_ to go there that day… and I'm _going_ to choose to again." He let's go, glancing over at Jay's parents, and then at Dan. "You all are probably wondering how I survived that day… and the truth is I didn't. I know it doesn't make much sense so, I'll tell you everything I know."

He gestures them all to take seats around the campfire, and then starts his tale.

* * *

"Is everything alright, Ally-oop?" Dan asks worriedly, looking up from the flowers he was comparing for bouquets. "You look a little nervous."

"What?" Al looks up from the various types of table cloth swatches they'd been given (a dizzying amount, each just a shade off from the last in a dizzying array that he was finding he was caring less and less about). "I'm fine; why do you ask?"

"Well… getting married is a big step." He fiddles with the petals on a rose, fingers coming away smeared with red. "If you're having second thoughts I'd like to hear them now, instead of at the altar."

"Oh, no, that was the last thing on my mind!" He chuckles, then pauses. "Or, I guess what I'm, _admittedly_ , a bit worried about is related to it, but it isn't the wedding itself."

Dan seems to think about it for a moment, turning back to his flowers and trying futilely to fix the petal he'd messed up.

"…I thought you said your brother and sister in law were okay with us?"

"They are, Dandy, in fact Edna is over the moon at being a part of our wedding…" He thinks back to the sparkle in her eyes as he had told them the news. "She also proposed that we use Jay as the ring bearer."

"I don't have any problem with that." Dan says easily. "Is that what you were so worried about?"

"No. Well, it _led_ to it." He groans, shoving the swatches away. "Ed pointed out that none of us made our relationship clear to Jay. I mean, he's a smart kid, so he might have guessed it himself, but… well, he _knows_ what weddings are for, so if he sees us getting married then he'll realize, and he might have questions about it."

"…Okay, I don't think I see the issue here." Dan gives him a confused look.

"The issue is that no matter how accepting my brother is, he's never been anything but straight. There might be some questions that he _can't_ answer, or won't answer right, and…"

"And?"

"And I'm just realizing that I might not have those answers, either."

"Because you're bi?"

"Because he's not even five, yet!" He throws his hands up in the air in exasperation. "How am I supposed to explain attraction and love and… _everything_ , when he doesn't even understand why there are two bathrooms!"

"I thought you said he was a smart kid?"

"He is, Dandy, but he's still just four." Al smiles, thinking back to Edna's gleeful recounting of their frustration at explaining why they couldn't just make one big bathroom for everyone. And then, once they'd explained that, they'd had to explain why the girl's bathroom didn't have urinals. "In fact he might be a little _too_ smart for his own good… but, anyway, the problem is giving him an age appropriate explanation."

"I'm sure you'll think of something, Alley-oop." Dan assures him, giving him a short peck on the lips. "You should probably hurry, though, didn't you promise your brother that you'd be there soon?"

Al curses, thanks Dan and quickly says goodbye before rushing out the door. The drive out to his brother's junkyard was fairly long, which had always been a bit peculiar to Al, but Ed had always reasoned that it was cheap to buy and build out there, and there weren't any neighbors to complain about the noise or the sight of their junkyard. They'd never had much problem with business, so Al figured that the couple knew what they were doing and left it at that.

He barely makes it there in time and hurries up the path to the house and knocks. Ed answers and he's immediately met with the sight of Edna worrying over Jay, hugging the boy and assuring him that he could call them for whatever reason. He couldn't blame his sister in law for being a bit overbearing with Jay, after the loss of Storm. It didn't help that he looked so much like their lost daughter.

Looked, but didn't act like her, despite being raised by the same people. Storm had always been an ambitious, head-strong child. She'd had a love of pictures, which had grown into photography later in life, despite her father's attempts to get her interested in technology. Even as a baby Jay had shown an interest in the machines Ed built, even if it was due more to how shiny they looked, or the lights and sounds they made.

Even now he was working on some 'blueprints' as he'd call them. Really they were just drawings based on what he'd want, which he'd show to Ed, who would do his best to help Jay make them a reality. It was adorable, when Jay would proudly show him his newest invention that he 'built all by himself,' even though all he did was pick out the materials and tighten a few screws.

"Jay…?" He calls out, hesitating. He wasn't going to be any more ready than now, and although he felt a little bad interrupting his Nephew's work, he needed to get through this conversation now. "Come 'ere, Buddy."

He pats the seat next to him on the couch, tries not to seem too serious despite his nerves. He didn't want Jay to think he was in trouble. Once his nephew is settled on the couch and looking at him curiously, he begins.

"Ah… where to start?" He rubs the back of his neck, finding the words he'd gone over during the long drive over had all fled just as he was ready to use them. "You remember my friend, the one who came over the last time I babysat you?"

"Dan?"

"Yeah, Dan." Okay, so he remembered Dan. Not that he expected Jay to forget him. He was surprisingly good with people, Edna said, as he always remembered their repeat customers. Glancing away, he braces himself for the surge of questions that was so common to a child's curiosity. "He and I, well, we like each other the way your Ma and Da like each other."

He glances over at his Nephew, trying to search out the questions in his bright blue eyes, but he can't see any questions at all, no gears turning in his little head as usual before he begins the barrage.

"Okay."

"…right." He wasn't sure he'd explained it clearly enough. "Well, uh, we're going to be getting married." Al speaks slowly, leaving room for Jay to interject with any questions he may have, but none come. "I was hoping you'd be the ring bearer. You, uh, do you have any questions?"

Jay glances around, thinking about whatever questions he may have, and Al feels his nerves winding up again. What if Jay asked if he'd get a cousin? What if he started asking where babies came from?! Oh, god, he should have let Ed and Edna explain all this to him!

"Is there going to be cake?" The question, so innocent and completely from left field, causes all his thoughts to come screeching to a halt.

He can't help the laughter that bubbles up, even as he tries to push it down. He doesn't want Jay to be discouraged from asking any questions, even if it was just _too adorable_ and _far too relieving_ that he cared more about the cake than his uncle marrying another man.

"Y-yes, Buddy, there's going to be cake." He forces himself to calm down, clearing his throat to cover the remaining snickers, before asking. "Any other questions?"

"What kind of cake?" He smiles fondly at the singlemindedness of his nephew.

"We haven't decided yet, Buddy." He ruffles his nephew's hair. "Any suggestions?"

"I like chocolate cake."

"Chocolate is a pretty good flavor." He nods. Dan certainly had a fondness for chocolate, too, so Jay might just get his wish for a chocolate cake. "Oh, if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask me, okay?"

"Alwight." Jay nods, looks down at his feet, barely at the edge of the couch, and after a minute of contemplation he reaches up and tugs on Al's sleeve.

"What is it, Buddy?" Maybe he'd had a question about it, after all?

"Wanna play hide and seek?" He asks instead.

"Sure."

"I'm gonna win this time!" He declares, sliding off the couch and hurrying off to go hide.

"We'll see if you can beat the seeker king!" Al laughs maniacally, for added effect.

"No cheating!" Jay calls back.

 _It's not cheating if I can hear you stomping all over the house._ He thinks fondly.

Instead of standing around and counting, as usual, he carefully and quietly steps out of the house for a moment and pulls out his phone. This would give Jay a fighting chance and help to prolong the game a bit, allowing Jay to feel happy that he'd managed to evade the 'seeker king' for longer than usual.

He dials Dan's number and listens to it ring twice before his fiancé picks up.

"Al? Is everything okay?" Dan asks worriedly.

"Everything is fine, Dandy." He assures the other. "Jay cared more about the cake than anything."

"Oh?" Dan chuckles. "That's a surprise."

"Yeah, he wants us to have chocolate."

"Well, if your nephew says we should have chocolate, how are we supposed to argue with that?"

"I knew you'd say that." He snorts.

"So did you call just to tell me that?" Dan asks curiously. "I mean, I don't mind talking to you, but I do have customers to help now."

"Ah, sorry, Dandy." He apologizes. "Sometimes I forget how busy the life of a nurse can be."

"Would you stop calling me a nurse?" Dan says exasperatedly. "Working in a nursery does not make one a nurse!"

"Right, right." He laughs. "Love you, Dandy."

"Love you too, Alley-oop." He replies fondly.

He hits end call and feels a rumble go through his chest along with the loud sound of an explosion that might as well have been in his chest for the way it makes his heart constrict. He drops his phone and rushes inside, pauses for a moment to try and figure out where the source of the sound came from.

 _The attic._ It clicks in his head, the newest invention that his brother was working on. He rushes up the stairs and feels like everything freezes for a moment the second after he opens the door. Across the room stands the remains of whatever Ed was working on, surrounded by a slowly growing fire, and on the floor was… was _him_ , kneeling and cradling Jay in his arms, who has a piece of metal embedded in his chest and blood covering half his face.

"I don't… what-" He bites off the question of 'what happened' because it only takes one look to know enough. The details of _how_ didn't matter, not even how there was another him, right now, all that mattered was that Jay needed help. "I need to call an ambulance."

"There's no time." The other him says urgently. "They won't get here soon enough."

"What else am I supposed to do?!" He scrambles to his side, looking at his nephew, face pale and getting paler.

"The stone…" the other him says, voice a bit unsteady.

The small shard, just a tiny sliver, sitting in a bag in his car. The shard of the immortal's soul that he had taken from the Light's Hope so he could study it when he had the time.

"What… about it?" He asks, hands carefully touching his Nephew, delicately checking his pulse, mind all over the place on whether he should be rushing to grab this or that to help, feeling the heat from the fire growing around them.

Looking down at Jay, the other him seems to find the conviction he needs to put into his next words.

"I'm going to use the ritual." Al immediately blanches at hearing those words coming from what is essentially his own mouth. The images of people screaming in agony, bones visible from flesh that had liquefied and sloughed away, from people puking up their own guts, literally, laughing deliriously.

"No…" He whispers.

"It's the only way to save him." The other him gives him a pleading look. "Everything will turn out fine, I promise, but you have to trust me."

Looking down at the wrist he'd been trying to find the pulse on, looking for the pulse he'd been unable to find visually. But there's nothing, just pale flesh, limp, pulseless. Horror finds its way into his chest, tightens his throat, and he nods. He doesn't waste any more time arguing. He quickly stands and makes his way back out to his car, hearing his phone crunch underfoot on his way out the front door. He curses his shaking hands as he fumbles with the keys, leaving them to jingle in the door as he's already on his way back into the house with the shard in hand.

It's jarring to see the puddle of red on the floor, so much blood from such a small body, and his stomach only twists further when he sees the red smeared over his clothes in runes, blood drying on his other self's fingers. This was no time to get squeamish, though, and instead he hands over the shard.

His other self carefully lays Jay down on the floor, takes the shard, and holds it in one hand, the other held against the back. There's not a single stutter, or tripping over the strange sound of the runes, ones he'd heard far too many times already to not know them by heart. As he does the ones he'd drawn begin to glow, and he lowers the shard into Jay's chest, right next to the metal imbedded there, and then removes his hand.

Already black veins are beginning to creep along his other self's skin, starting from the hand that held the shard and quickly going up. His watches his own face twist in agony as he shuffles back, limbs uncoordinated, until he starts to seize. Red froth eventually pours from his mouth, gurgling his final breaths before his eyes roll back into his skull and he stills.

It didn't matter how many times Al saw it, it still left him feeling sick, and seeing it happen to himself was downright horrifying in the most surreal way. Carefully, as if he somehow expected to see the other version of himself jump back to life, he kneels down and picks Jay up, getting blood all over his hands and staining his sleeves. Jay is alarmingly cold in his arms already, contrasted by the heat of the growing fire, and he finds that his stomach twists as he realizes just how close his nephew had come to dying.

He watches with baited breath as his nephew takes a tiny, almost non-existent breath. A quick check of his pulse reveals it's back, but so, so weak. He doesn't hesitate any longer, turns and hurries down the stairs, out the door, and to his car. It's hard to get the keys from the door and into the ignition with how badly he's shaking, but he manages it, and soon there's smoke billowing into the sky filling his rearview mirror as he breaks every rule of the road on his mission to get to the hospital.

People rush to get Jay into surgery the moment that they see the pale boy in his arms with a hunk of metal sticking out of his chest, and it's all a blur before he finds himself sitting in the waiting room.

"Alphonse." A deep voice speaks up, a familiar one, and he's surprised to see one of the men from the Light's Hope before him, looking annoyed. "Ready to go?"

"What?" He asks, dismayed. "No! I-, M-my Nephew, he-"

"Yeah, things aren't going to end up so pretty for 'im if you don't do as the Boss Lady wants."

Shakily, like in a dream, he follows the man out.

* * *

"…It was later that I pieced together what had happened." Alphonse finishes his story. "The only explanation that makes sense. I wasn't there the first time, and you died… so I went back in time to try and fix things. Or, maybe I just ended up in the position to fix things… either way, I was now locked in a time loop where I'd have to go back and do what I'd already done to ensure that nothing changes."

"Just because he looked like you?" Jay asks weakly, still looking like he's reeling from the information.

"There was no way for anyone else to know I had the shard." He says.

"I'm not so sure about that." Cole speaks up. "They did send someone who ended up killing Jay, momentarily. I don't think it's a coincidence."

Alphonse looks aghast at that, turning to Jay, who nods.

"So I was a fool to think they didn't know?" He bites his lip. "Of course they knew… I suppose that's why they kept me around, because they wanted me to repeat the success I had with you that night."

"Not to change the subject," Zane speaks up. "But there are some things regarding Jay's death and revival that I'd like to talk to you about."

"Ah, of course." Alphonse nods. "If there's anything I can do to help, I will."

Zane explains what had happened, the dragon's gold that now kept Jay's soul tethered to his body, along with his delayed reactions.

"…That," Alphonse starts, looking sad. "is a trend we noticed with those who had their souls repeatedly removed and replaced. While they would wake up faster, it would take longer and longer for their souls to sync up, so to speak, until their souls just… wouldn't reconnect, anymore." He looks over at Jay worriedly. "This only happens with cut anchors, but… we've never had a synthetic anchor before, so I'm not sure if repeated removal would have the same effect."

"But, at least for now, he should be fine, right?" Zane presses.

"Yes." Alphonse replies.

Zane nods, looking a bit relieved, although still troubled. They all were, really, but right now there was nothing they could do. Jay would return to normal, in time, and they all needed time to process what had happened without the threat of some looming enemy hanging over them.

So, for the time being, they'd all be staying in Hiroshi's labyrinth.

End chapter fifty six

* * *

AN: Hey, sorry about this chapter being a day late. It needed a bit of extra work, and I didn't want to put out a chapter I wasn't happy with. Hopefully the fact that this chapter is longer than usual helps to make up for that.

Thanks to everyone who's put up with my poor schedule management so far, I'm glad you enjoy this story enough to keep reading. Thanks to everyone who has left a review, favorited, and followed Broken Circles so far. We're in the final stretch now, and although I have no idea how many chapters are left, I know the ending is far too close for me to ever considered stopping. I may take too long to post the next chapter, but I _will_ post it.

-Kit


	58. Chapter 57

Hearing the story that Alphonse had to tell was chilling. If Lou had found out something similar had happened to his own son… well, seeing as his son was currently a ghost, maybe Lou couldn't say that he wasn't in a similar position. He understands why Edna pulls Jay into a tight hug, distressed from the news. The blue ninja returns her hug, softly assuring his mother that he's fine.

"Al…" Ed turns to his brother, who appears apprehensive about his reaction. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me." Alphonse looks pained as he replies. "If I'd been there in the first place, then none of this would have happened."

"And if I had put a lock on the attic door like Edna kept telling me to, none of this would have happened." Guilt and regret fill the older Walker's eyes. "You did everything you could to protect Jay… you have no reason to feel guilty." Alphonse looks like he wants to argue, eyes already tearing up a bit, but Ed doesn't give him the chance. "And I should apologize."

"What…" Alphonse sniffs, trying (and failing) to discreetly wipe away his tears. "What for?"

"I never meant to pretend you didn't exist, I just-…"

"It's alright." He assures his older brother. "After Storm I kind of expected as much."

"That doesn't make it right." Ed shakes his head stubbornly. "It was selfish of me…"

"You weren't the only one who was pretending, dear." Edna says softly, finally letting Jay go, and wiping away tears of her own. "We were both selfish, to the point that Jay wasn't even aware Al was dead."

The two parents share a grim look, and Alphonse speaks up hesitantly.

"I was wondering about that… Jay, just what _did_ you think happened to me that day?"

"O-oh…" the master of lightning looks put on the spot, glancing away almost guiltily. "Ah, you know… uh, I just… thought you… kind of…" He takes a deep, shaky breath, before rushing to say. "I thought it was because you didn't like him marrying a guy!"

There's a deafening silence that follows that admission, and Lou can see the shock written clear on Ed and Edna's faces, as well as the anxiety that only seemed to be building in their son. Soon enough, just as Cole had mentioned, Jay began to babble nervously.

"I just-, I remembered him mentioning it, and then he stopped showing up and you wouldn't talk about it, and all you'd go on and on about how I'd be so happy when I found a girl to settle down with and-"

" _Jay_." Ed interrupts his son. The blue ninja shuts his mouth with an audible _click_ that has Lou cringing a bit. "I'm so sorry that my actions led you to think that."

"…It's alright." Jay shrugs, trying to shrug off the anxiety he clearly still felt. "I get why you wouldn't want to talk about it."

"No harm no foul, right?" Alphonse speaks up, trying to lighten the tone a bit. "I mean, if what your Ma and Da have told me is right you're dating a nice girl."

"Ah-a…" Whatever words the blue ninja was going to say die on his tongue as a nervous laugh bubbles up.

"Well, I mean, young love doesn't always last." Alphonse says quickly. "It's fine, I'm sure there's another girl out there for you. Fish in the sea and all that."

"There, uh, I mean, it isn't…" Jay mumbles something, looking more and more panicked.

Lou hears Cole make some noise to catch the blue ninja's attention, then make some signals with his hand, ending with a thumbs up. It was nonsense to Lou, but whatever it was must have made sense to the master of lightning, who looks a little calmer after seeing it. "I would rather not date… those fish."

"What do you mean, sweetie?" Edna asks, brows furrowing. A similar expression was on Ed's face, but Alphonse looked like he realized something.

"Jay, Buddy, do you like guys?"

Jay hesitates, but nods, not meeting any of their eyes. Edna pulls Jay into another, bone crushing hug. From where he's standing Lou can see the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Tá an-brón orm." The words are spoken softly, tearfully.

"It's fine." Jay tries to assure his mother, returning her hug.

"No it's not." Ed speaks up, trying to put on a strong face despite the regret and shame clear in his eyes. "Your Ma and I just want you to be happy. It doesn't matter who you find that happiness with… and I'm so sorry we lead you to believe otherwise."

There's a small shaking in the blue ninja's shoulders, and he quietly says something that only his parents can hear. Edna releases the boy and the family share small, sad smiles. Lou figures that now was a good time to break the somber mood.

"I believe we all need a bit of a break!" The other Royal Blacksmiths didn't need to be told to know where this was going. They'd finished their preparations for the song and dance, so it was only a matter of time before Lou deemed it time to act. And, of course, the bigger the audience, the better. "We prepared a song for Cliff Gordon, to make him feel welcome here, but now that you've all returned, it might as well be a welcome back, too."

While everyone else gets settled as Rei directed (for optimal viewing), Lou goes over to where Cliff had taken up post on the edge of the group. The poor man looked like he was going to be sick, which caused Lou to hesitate.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asks. He had intended to force the man to come over and sit with everyone else, to enjoy the festivities, but if he was coming down with something…

"Fine." The actor grits out, despite his pallor.

Lou isn't sure he believes that, but he figures it would be easier to keep an eye on the man if he were sitting towards the front of their makeshift stage, and so he pulls him along, making sure he was settled towards the front where Lou could keep an eye on him _and_ perform.

* * *

Cliff Gordon felt like he was going to be sick. Hearing what horrible things had happened to their son, He couldn't say he was able to pay attention to whatever show Lou had put on for him. It wasn't like he didn't know what the man was up to, anyway. It was distasteful to be networking like this after such a gruesome story and heart wrenching scene.

 _I shouldn't have come here._ The pang of regret strikes hot, debilitating him. The familiar string of doubts, what-ifs, and self-deprecation starts up once again. _I wish I'd brought my camera…_

The diaries he'd started up shortly after leaving James with his grandparents had helped a bit. Cliff always felt more in control in front of a camera, and it helped him get his thoughts in order. It didn't always help, being in front of a camera. Sometimes he'd breakdown anyway, when it was really bad, and usually he'd hide away in his dressing room, or in his little sanctuary at his house. Now, though, he didn't have any of that.

 _Does it matter if that cult kills me?_ Breathing was becoming difficult, even as he tried to keep it even, and that was only feeding into the problem. _I couldn't save her, and I didn't even attempt to give our son the life he deserves._

His mind was beginning to drift, tunnel vision keying him into the fact that he wasn't going to be able to escape this one without losing consciousness. What poor timing…

* * *

Cole couldn't say he didn't expect it when his Dad immediately went to go talk to Cliff Gordon after the performance. Even at birthday parties his father never wasted an opportunity to network. However, his Dad's question is completely unexpected.

"Are you alight?"

Cliff doesn't answer, but the pained wheeze he lets out is telling.

"Oh, dear, what's wrong?" Edna asks, hurrying over to look over Cliff, who was futilely tugging his collar down, his other hand clenched in a fist so tight his fingers were white.

"I think he's having a panic attack." Alphonse says, watching the man with weary understanding.

"Try to get him to breathe," Ed suggests. "that always helped Jay."

Before any of them have time to react, the actor is slumped over.

"Oh…" Edna says softly, with surprise and sadness.

There's a moment of silence, where everyone seems a bit shocked.

"Perhaps we should move him to a more comfortable position?" Cyrus Borg suggests.

Edna and Lou carefully lay him out on the ground while Edna goes and gets him a pillow to lay his head on.

"Geez, Dad, I know you always try your best, but you're really going too far with these knock out performances." Cole jokes, getting a dry look from his father, but thankfully a few chuckles from Jay.

Seeing his Dad going over to speak with Jay's parents and the other 'adults' (as if the ninja aren't adults in their own right), Cole moves over to go talk to Jay.

"Hey." He starts, plopping down onto the log next to Jay.

"Careful," the blue ninja warns, a small smile on his face. "I am _not_ helping you if you get splinters in your but."

"Dude, I'm a ghost, that's not gonna happen." He sticks his tongue out at Jay, who pulls a face back, and then both chuckle. "So, how're you holding up?"

"…It feels like it's just one thing after another." The master of lightning admits with sagging shoulders. He quickly glances over at his parents, then straightens up again. "Although, I guess it's also kind of a relief."

"I told you they'd accept you." Cole throws an arm around the other's shoulders and pulls him into a side hug.

"…Hey, Cole?" Jay asks after a bit of silence.

"What is it?"

"Thanks." Jay shifts so he's leaning into the master of earth. "You're a good friend and… I don't remember it very clearly, but I think I remember seeing you in the black desert. If you hadn't shown up, I don't think I would have ever woken up."

The thought makes something in Cole's chest tighten, and he hugs the other just a little bit tighter.

"You always were lazy about waking up in the morning." He say lightly, instead of putting voice to that feeling.

"Like you're any better." Jay snorts, playfully elbowing him.

They both fall silent, a comfortable lull between them. With all the stress of the day, Cole shouldn't have been surprised when Jay falls asleep on him, and although his arm is already starting to go numb, he decides not to move in case he ends up waking the master of lightning up.

 _You better not drool on me._ He thinks fondly.

* * *

"Kai, may we speak for a moment?" Kai is a little surprised when Zane approaches him, looking conflicted.

"Sure thing." He agrees and ends up following after the master of ice as he immediately turns to walk away from the rest of the group. Once the ex-nindroid has deemed them a good distance away from the others, he turns to face the red ninja.

"I… I would like your advice." The white ninja pauses, considering his words. "I believe that I may like someone."

"Whoa, really?" Kai's eyebrows nearly reach his hairline from his surprise. It wasn't just that the white ninja was interested in someone, they'd already crossed that bridge with his interest in Pixal, but more the fact that Zane was coming to _him_ for advice. "I mean, you've come to the right ninja if it's love advice you seek."

Kai wasn't really sure why it was that Jay and Zane trusted Cole's advice more than his. He'd typically chalk it up to Cole having been the leader of them before Kai had shown up, they were just used to listening to the master of earth rather than the master of fire. Now was a good chance to show Zane that Kai was just as good at giving advice as Cole was.

"…Right." Zane says slowly, his trepidation a bit of an insult to Kai. "Well, this person is rather… _close_ with someone else, and I… don't like that. But it doesn't make sense, logically, because I have no reason to dislike it."

It was odd, seeing the normally cool and collected ninja get worked up just _thinking_ about it.

 _I wonder when he met her?_ Kai was certain that, had any of the others been around when Zane met this new girl, the rest of the team would likely know. _His interest in Pixal was about as subtle as a hot iron prod in the side._

"So you're jealous of this other guy?" The red ninja confirms before going on. "Well, it's normal to be jealous if they're close… do you know if they're together?"

"They are not." Zane seems certain of that fact, so Kai doesn't question it.

"Okay, then what are you waiting for?"

"What do you mean?"

"What I _mean_ is if they're that close, there's a good chance that them just being friends could change at any moment. If you don't make your feelings clear before then, all you'll be stuck with is 'what ifs' and regret." Kai could remember several girls he missed having a chance with because he'd hesitated to say anything. "Trust me, rejection hurts, but it's a lot easier to get over than regret."

Zane thinks his words over for a moment, then nods.

"Thank you for your assistance." He gives Kai a small smile. "I will take your words into consideration."

The master of fire can't help but puff up a little at that, proud that he could help one of his teammates.

"Any time."

* * *

It's surprising for Lloyd to see Fritz Donnegan embarrassed. Or, more accurately, the man who played him, Cliff Gordon. There had been scenes where Fritz Donnegan had suffered some kind of ailment or alien parasite that necessitated the actor to look sick or in distress, but Lloyd couldn't remember any scenes were Fritz Donnegan looked embarrassed as Cliff did now, apologizing for causing a scene.

"It's fine, dear." Edna assures the uncomfortable looking man. "I know how hard it can be to deal with anxiety. Jay, my son, used to get really bad panic attacks when he was little. It took us such a long time to help him learn to manage it, but sometimes he still has issues."

"I'm sorry for making you sit with everyone when you weren't feeling well." Lou speaks up, getting a look of mild surprise from the actor. "If I had known-"

"It's fine." The actor grits out sharply. "Thank you all for your concern, but I'd like to be alone now."

He swiftly walks off towards his tent, leaving the group behind.

"I hope he's feeling better." Edna says.

"I'm sure he just needs some time to himself." Ed says surely. "Jay would do the same thing."

"I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Lloyd says lightly, catching both the Walker's attention. He only realizes his mistake when Edna asks.

"What do you mean?"

 _Jay never told them Cliff is his biological dad!_ The green ninja should have known that. He hadn't told them about it when they went over what happened in the future. The only reason they even knew was because Nya remembered it, too.

"Uh…" It really wasn't his place to say, but there weren't any good lies he could come up with.

"You are referring to Cliff Gordon being Jay's biological father, right?" Ultimately, Lloyd didn't have to say anything, because Echo spills the beans for him.

Ed and Edna share a long look before giving the two of them a kind smile.

"Thank you for telling us." Edna says gently. "Does Jay know?"

"He does." Lloyd confirms.

"Then we'll let him choose what to do with that information." Ed says finally.

 _Huh._ Lloyd thinks in shock as they move on to other topics. _I should probably let Jay know his parents know about Cliff._

* * *

Zane mulls over this thoughts for a bit, considering Kai's words. He couldn't deny anymore that he likes Jay as more than a friend… and his jealousy over seeing Cole and Jay together before had been the straw that broke the camel's back. He wouldn't react like that if he just felt friendship for the master of lightning.

But Cole and Jay were good friends, and nothing more. He was sure of that, yet the red ninja's warning was still in his head. Would that be likely to change? Zane had no idea, but he found himself leaning towards the master of fire's way of thinking. What did he have to lose in making his feelings clear? If Jay rejected him, it might be awkward at first, but things would eventually go back to normal, he was certain of that.

With that decided, he heads in the direction where Jay and Cole were sitting before.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Cole asks, and Zane could almost curse his luck that he arrived at the exact same time that Lloyd did.

"I wanted to tell Jay something, but…" Lloyd trails off as they all look at the sleeping ninja. "I guess it can wait."

 _I suppose it's just as well._ Zane thinks to himself as they both turn to look at him.

"I was just thinking that we should look into getting Jay checked by a doctor."

"Right," Cole's face turns serious. "we probably shouldn't wait too long for that."

The three of them are thoughtful for a moment, all of them probably thinking about whether they should wake the sleeping ninja. Zane was about to suggest it, because every second was another that they'd have to wait to find out if there were any lingering ill effects from his brief death, when Jay suddenly tilts back and falls off the log. Cole's face is a mix of surprise and dismay as the blue ninja groans.

"Are you alright?" The ghost asks as soon as Jay propped himself up on his elbows, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm sorry, my arm went numb and I must have lost control of my tangibility."

"I'm alright." Jay waves them off, laughing a little bit. "I should have known better than to fall asleep on a ghost."

The words are teasing, a gentle ribbing, but Zane notices the tiny flinch that Cole does his best to hide.

"Now that you're up," Lloyd starts, also oblivious to Cole's reaction. "Zane was saying we should take you to the doctor. Also, uh, Echo and I kind of told your parents about Cliff being your dad."

"Oh?" Jay laughs nervously. "How did they take it?"

"Surprisingly well." Lloyd says with a bemused smile. "It didn't even seem to faze them."

The blue ninja seems relieved about that.

"So, about that doctor visit…" Jay seems to be thinking. "We'll have to go into town for that, right?"

"No one here is actually a doctor, so yes." Zane confirms.

"Hold on a moment." The master of lightning springs to his feet, stumbles a bit, and then hurries off towards where the adults were all gathered. "Hey Al, Dan!"

Zane, Lloyd, and Cole follow behind at a more reasonable pace, curious as to what Jay was up too.

"What is it, Buddy?" Alphonse asks when Jay stopped in front of him.

"Okay, so you know how everything has been pretty cra-" a subtle glance at his parents and Jay shifts midsentence. "lousy? Pretty lousy all around. I was thinking we all needed a celebration to, well, celebrate! Aaaaand, as long as we're having a celebration, I figure why not hold that wedding you guys never got to have."

There's a stunned silence from the two men.

"That would be wonderful." Edna gasps.

"Ah…" Alphonse hesitates, meeting Dan's eyes sadly. "that's not possible."

"Why not?" Dan asks, looking determined. "I know we've been apart for a long time, and even if you're convinced you're destined to die one day, I don't care. I still love you just as much as I did when I proposed, and we're all going to die sometime. If you don't want to, I won't force you…"

"It's not that I don't want to!" Alphonse insists, red faced from the declaration of love. "It's just that I'm dead, officially, so I don't think anyone would even be able to marry us, legally."

"You know, part of having a lordship is the legal ability to marry people." Viperae says lightly, turning to Sensei Garmadon with a slightly devious grin. "Jun here could marry you."

Sensei Garmadon gives Viperae a curious look, before giving the couple a reassuring smile.

"If you're alright with it, then I'll marry you two."

"Thank you." Alphonse looks a bit overwhelmed.

"See?" Jay looks like he's trying not to bounce on the balls of his feet with excitement. "Mr. Beckett, would the Royal Blacksmiths be willing to provide the music?"

"It would be an honor, right?" Lou turns to the other members of his quartet, who all agree.

"Do you still have the rings?" Jay asks Dan, who nods. "Good. I was promised the position of ring bearer, so it'd be bad if we didn't have rings."

"Don't tell me _that's_ why you suggested this." Cole laughs.

"Of course not!" Jay replies with mock offense.

"I'm pretty sure he's just looking forward to the cake." Alphonse laughs, wiping away a few stray tears.

"You traitor." Jay huffs, failing to hold back giggles. "But speaking of cake, I figured we could pick up all the supplies when we head into town."

Zane can't help the small smile at that. Edna was eagerly going over what they'd need, with Dan effortlessly rattling off decisions they'd made so long ago despite Alphonse struggling to remember it. Ed was joking with his brother about all the times the younger had complained about wedding planning before. He could see Lou conversing with the rest of the Royal Blacksmiths about what songs would be the best for the wedding. Jay had managed to raise everyone's spirits so easily, drawing them into the energy he puts out.

 _He really is a light in the dark._

End chapter fifty seven

* * *

AN: Feels like all I've been doing lately is apologizing for missed deadlines. I wont make any excuses, but now I've got a bit of free time, so I intend to write the two chapters I missed and post them as soon as possible, starting with this one.

Thanks for everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this story so far. I hope you all enjoy a bit of a breather from the usual sadness and drama here at the end.

-Kit


	59. Chapter 58

In the lull of the waiting room Jay found his mind wandering. The small village that was about a two hour drive from Hiroshi's Labyrinth thankfully didn't have many patients on average, so they were able to get a same day appointment. The down side was, because it wasn't considered an emergency, they had to wait a few hours for the appointment while every other person who had one went first. Jay wouldn't have minded, if it were a strict 'be here at this time, no sooner, no later' kind of thing, but the man had said that there was a chance they could get him in earlier if everyone else's appointments went smoothly. This meant that, on Zane's insistence and Cole's support, he was stuck sitting in the waiting room on the _chance_ that he'd get in sooner.

With the way most people who wandered in for their appointments chatted with the nurses, Jay highly doubted anyone would be getting out of their appointments early, even if the doctor just said that their cough was allergies, as usual.

So, while Zane had decided to stay with Jay to wait out the time until his appointment (which the blue ninja did appreciate, honestly), Kai, Cole, Skylor and Nya all got to go and buy the stuff for the wedding. Sure, it was just getting stuff as close as possible to what was on the list they were given, but it _had_ to be more interesting than this!

"Can you die from boredom?" Jay asks with a groan, sliding down farther in his chair.

"Technically speaking, no." The master of ice says with an amused smile. "Although I have heard cases of people going mad if they receive no mental stimulation for long enough, such as in an isolation chamber."

"Have you been talking with Hykos when I wasn't looking?" Jay asks suspiciously. Such a random, dark turn of conversation with no prompting seemed something right up the ex-villain's alley.

"I have not." Zane pauses, considering. "Why do you call him Hykos?"

"Because that's his name?" Jay shrugs. "Well, I guess I kind of started doing it to annoy him at first…"

Zane's brows furrow for a moment as he thinks over what the blue ninja said.

"But where did you even hear such a name? As far as I am aware, there is no record of Hykos Viperae outside of the tales of the Overlord, and those never refer to him by name."

"His last name isn't Viperae," Jay says offhandedly. "and I didn't hear it from anyone-, uh, anyone _alive_. I saw a lot of Hykos' memories in the black desert, and that's were I heard his name."

"Black…? Are you referring to the place Cole described going to when he tried to possess you?"

"Maybe?" Jay shrugs. "I mean, I kind of remember him showing up, so probably."

"I see." The white ninja says thoughtfully. "and in this place you had access to his memories?"

"Yep! Also…" Jay hesitates, uncertain how to go on. The little snowflake, his only companion in that world, pushing him on when the struggle felt too much to bear. The piece of Zane's soul that he needed to survive, kept away from him when he needed it the most… was it selfish to be grateful that your friend accidentally damaged his soul, risking permanent death, just so that you didn't have to be alone? "N-never mind."

The curiosity in the master of ice's clear blue eyes is obvious, but he doesn't push Jay for answers. They lapse into silence once again, and Jay notices the white ninja place a hand on his chest out of the corner of his eye.

 _Could he… remember?_ He's all too aware of the tempo of his heart beat picking up at that thought. The thought shouldn't make him nervous like this, but it does. _What if he calls me selfish?_ No, Zane wouldn't say that. Jay had no idea it was a part of the master of ice's soul at the time. _No, he'll just say that it was super obvious that it was part of his soul, and I should have realized it._

"Jay, I…" Zane, so unlike himself, hesitates to speak. "I wanted to tell you something."

"Oh?" The master of lightning can't help the higher than usual pitch his voice takes thanks to how tense he's becoming. "What is it?"

"Mr. Walker?" The doctor calls out from the doorway, clipboard in hand, cutting off the white ninja.

"Present!" Jay wants to berate himself for answering as if this were a classroom even as he springs to his feet. He turns to Zane, who's features are schooled enough that the blue ninja can't see whatever expression he was making before. "Sorry, I've got to… you know. How about you tell me after?"

"Of course." Zane says neutrally, and it's stiff in a way that, even as a nindroid who didn't quite understand how to interact with the world, was unusual for the master of ice.

Jay isn't sure what to make of that reaction, but Zane had always been a bit of an enigma to the blue ninja.

"Mr. Walker?" the doctor says questioningly

"Sorry for the holdup." Jay hurries over and gives the man an apologetic smile. "I'm ready."

Jay can't help but glance back one more time before the door leading to the back rooms clicks shut and catches sight of the white ninja pinching the bridge of his nose. The image sticks in his head all through the examination as he wonders just what it was the master of ice had wanted to tell him.

* * *

Now is the time, Ronin decides, to ask Viperae about the soul contract. The demon was currently in high spirits after having a teasing conversation with Sensei Garmadon about 'priest garb' or whatever, so he'd likely be more amiable about the subject. Ronin just had to watch himself and keep from spoiling it before he got what he wanted or whether Viperae intended to keep lording it over the criminal forever.

"Viperae." He says, drawing the man's attention.

"Hm~?" He turns away from an exasperated Sensei Garmadon, and levels two poisonous purple eyes on Ronin. "Did you need something, Ronin?"

"My soul contract." He says directly. The criminal wasn't going to waste time beating around the bush just to prolong this whole conversation. There were times to drag out conversation, such as to give the customer time to hold an object and get attached to it, but this was not one of those times. Neither was there a point to try and keep the conversation private. The ninja were a gossipy bunch so he was certain that the whole group knew about his dilemma.

"Right…" Viperae says lightly. "I'd nearly forgotten." He hums, a broken sounding tune, yet somehow still thoughtful. "No doubt you'd like me to just dismiss it, right?"

"That would be ideal." He answers carefully.

"Unfortunately, I can't do that." Ronin's face must show his frustration, because the demon's eyes darken a fraction and he goes on to say. "Don't blame me. I neither designed nor signed it."

It was a subtle jab at Ronin, the criminal was certain of that fact. He wants to grit out an insult in reply, but the now human walking toaster speaks up before he can.

"Why not?" Ronin isn't sure how Echo can withstand the demon's considering gaze unflinchingly like that.

"…Because whoever crafted it didn't _want_ it fulfilled."

"Why would they not want it fulfilled?"

"Because then they get my soul." Ronin nearly sneers as he answers the question. He knew the contract was heavily slanted against him, with the high interest rate. At the time he'd thought he'd be able to manage it anyway, but he had found out rather quickly just how in over his head he was. Turning back to the demon, he does his best to keep his face and tone as close to neutral as possible, although the annoyance slips through anyway as he asks. "Why can't you just dismiss the debt?"

"A soul contract isn't like most," It was obnoxious, the way that Viperae was looking down his nose at him. Obviously he'd already ruined the demon's mood. "it's branded directly on the soul, which means the only way to remove it would be to remove that piece of soul and destroy it, which is a death sentence and even then there's a good chance of it following you into your next life after your inevitable death." There's a second, just a split second, where the light filtering through the trees must have tricked Ronin's eyes, because Viperae almost looks sorry. "You took out collateral against your own life, at a high interest. The contract is specific that you either have to pay back what you owe or forfeit what you put up as collateral."

"Great…" Ronin scoffs.

"If it makes you feel better," Viperae's tone goes back to being airy. "I can transfer the contract to whoever you'd like… aside from yourself."

Ronin grits his teeth, quickly going through his list of people who he could potentially trust with such an important thing. Anyone would be better than that demon, assuming he wasn't outright lying about doing the transfer. That said, though, giving someone that much power over him didn't sit well no matter who he considered.

"Does Ronin specifically have to pay off his contract with money?" The ex-toaster's question derails his train of thought.

"He can trade anything with value, actually. Time, work, jewels, so long as it holds value to the contract holder, he can use it as payment."

"And does the value that the contract holder put in the payment change how much it is worth?"

"Yes, actually." Viperae looks a bit impressed, although it's quickly replaced by a devious smirk. "Are you saying you'd like Ronin here to be indebted to you?"

"No, I am indebted to him, actually. He helped me to find my brother's soul shards, saving his life." Echo says seriously, without a single sign of malice or insincerity. "I cannot hope to repay that through any ordinary means."

Viperae doesn't say anything, just turns to Ronin with a raised eyebrow. He doesn't have to think about his answer, because as soon as the words had left the ex-toaster's mouth, he realizes.

 _He's too stupid to use it against me._

The words 'pure hearted' try to worm their way into his head, but he astutely ignores them.

"Fine." He grits out.

Without any preamble Viperae bites his thumb, drawing blood, and _that_ causes Echo to jump, looking aghast.

"You did not have to do that." He says, watching the demon quickly, yet precisely, write down runes on his palm. "I am sure we have writing utensils you could have used."

Ignoring Echo's protests, Viperae begins to hum something, and Ronin feels the hair on the back of his neck stand up. The blood on his hand glows, the runes lifting up into the air for a moment before Viperae closes his hands over them, and when he separates them a rolled-up piece of parchment appears as if from thin air. It floats for a moment, letting off a ghostly chill that reminds Ronin exactly of its origins, before Viperae gently grabs it. The ribbon holding it closed comes undone easily, and it's strange to see it vanish back into thin air the moment Viperae lets it go. With a small flourish he unfurls it and holds the parchment open, facing the Ex-toaster.

"Do you accept ownership of this contract?"

Echo hesitates, before steeling himself.

"I was made to protect those who cannot protect themselves." He says softly, as if in answer, and Ronin wants to scoff at the other using that damn phrase of his _now_ of all times. Echo reaches out, taking the contract in hand, and the ink on the parchment flies off the page and into his chest, leaving the parchment to vanish the same way the ribbon had.

There's a second of stillness, and Ronin almost asks if that was it, before his chest starts to glow, and a symbol appears, before moving out enough for him to see it easily. Runes all artfully arranged around a number that was rapidly dropping before their eyes. The criminal can't deny he's holding his breath as the numbers go from a million, to a hundred thousand, to ten thousand, to a thousand, and then hundreds.

Then it hits zero.

The whole thing glows brighter for a moment and then fades, like the after image left by a trail of sparklers on new year.

"There you go." Viperae's voice is soft, almost as if the demon didn't want to break the raptured silence that had befallen the group. "Your debt has been repaid."

And with it, a weight Ronin hadn't realized he'd been carrying lifts off his shoulders.

* * *

The clean bill of health Jay had been given was a relief. Kai was sure they were all happy to put those worries behind them. Cole looked more at ease, and not just because the two ninja had taken many of the extra bags that he'd gotten stuck carrying off of his hands when they'd met up. Jay was cheerfully bugging them about each and every item that was on the list, and what they'd gotten.

"Did you seriously memorize that entire list?" Kai asks in disbelief.

"Of course I did!" Jay returns brightly. "This is an important event and I don't want there to be a single thing missing or out of place for it."

"…Aren't you the one who couldn't remember all the fighting stances Sensei Wu taught us?" Cole asks with a teasing smile.

"That's different." Jay huffs, bumping the taller ninja's shoulder with his own, since both their hands were full. "And I _did_ remember them eventually."

"Yeah, after Sensei Wu got fed up with your 'cheat sheets' and forced you to go through every stance over and over for _hours_."

"Don't remind me…"

"That must have been before we met you guys." Nya says, shifting her bags a bit. It wasn't as obvious to the others, but he could tell his sister was a bit nervous. "You three never had any issues like that, as far as I can remember."

"It was." Cole answers.

"Although Zane never had any issue remembering any of Sensei Wu's teaching." Jay adds. "I remember asking him what his secret was once, and you know what he said?"

"What?" Nya asks, her shoulders relaxing a tad.

" _I pay attention when Sensei speaks."_ Jay tries to imitate the nindroid's voice, only to sound way off. "As if I didn't!"

"Uh, you _didn't_." Cole says with a laugh. "Do you remember the number of times I had to reexplain everything to you once he'd left because you weren't paying attention?"

"It's not my fault the man is boring."

Kai's response dies on his tongue when he notices how pensive Zane looks, lagging behind the rest of the group. It wasn't exactly an out of place expression on the master of ice, he'd always been the most thoughtful, but Kai had expected he'd be taking part in the good atmosphere, too.

Moving so he's walking next to the ex-nindroid, Kai asks.

"Everything okay?"

"It's fine." Zane says automatically, eyes darting to the others, before lowering his tone a bit and carefully asking. "Kai, may I ask you for some more advice?"

"Fire away." Kai says happily. He hadn't expected Zane to come back for more advice so soon.

"How do you confess to someone?"

 _More love advice?_ Maybe Kai shouldn't be surprised. _Ah, I bet the girl he likes is in this village._

It made sense. When they were fixing up Dan's shack (that Hiroshi later destroyed, making the whole thing pointless), they had run out to the village to get supplies several times. Dan had offered to get the supplies himself, since it was his place they were fixing up, but Zane had insisted it wasn't a problem. Sure, Cole had agreed afterwards, but thinking back now, the white ninja did seem a little overeager to go to the village.

"Admittedly, it's different depending on who your asking out, but I've found one thing to be true regardless of the person." Kai pauses, making sure that Zane is listening, before he goes on. "Be direct. Whether you're going with some grand gesture, or just simply asking them, no one likes to have to guess at your intentions."

"Is that so?" Skylor's amused question catches Kai off guard. He hadn't realized that she was listening in on their conversation. "Is that also true for guys? That you should approach them directly?"

"Yeah," Kai tries to stay cool, despite his quickening heartbeat. "I'd respect any woman who'd take the first step like that."

"I'll keep that in mind." She says with a teasing smile, before turning away from them and back to the conversation the others were having.

"…are you sure about this?"

"What?" Kai's brain feels fried, and Zane's knowing, yet pitying smile brings him back to the conversation at hand. "I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't sure."

"It's just that you do not seem to be taking your own advice." Zane glances meaningfully at the restaurant owner, before giving Kai a doubtful look.

"You know what?" This was a matter of pride, now. He moves a few steps ahead spins around, giving Zane a serious look, and says. "Just watch the master at work."

He turns back around and moves up next to Skylor.

"Hey, Skylor."

"How does Friday sound?"

"We should h-" He cuts himself off as he realizes what she said. "yeah! I mean, that would be cool…" He clears his throat, trying to get his mind back in gear. "How about a movie?"

"They don't have a movie theater here."

"We've got movies on the Bounty."

"Oh? Not even going to take me to dinner first?"

"I- No, I didn't mean it like-" Whelp, Kai's face was now about the same shade as his gi.

"It's alright." Skylor's laugh does little to ease the embarrassment he feels over the slipup. "A movie would be nice… I'll bring the popcorn?"

"Deal." Kai nods.

He walks slowly until he's even with Zane once more and wants to groan when he sees the master of ice failing to hide his amusement. After that blunder it was unlikely that Zane would take his advice.

"Thank you for the… demonstration."

"It wasn't the smoothest, but it worked, didn't it?" Kai defends.

"Oh, I think Skylor was very smooth." The white ninja smirks. "She really swept you off your feet."

"…Shut up." Despite his grumbling, it was hard to be upset when he had a date with Skylor. "Did that help you any?"

"Yes." Zane drops the teasing tone, although there's still mirth in his eyes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Kai nods, moving up to talk with the others before Zane makes any snarkier remarks.

"You're hopeless, Bro." Turns out, he should have been on the look out for his sister's snark instead.

* * *

The numbers, written in a neat scrawl (which should be a contradiction, as far as Idris is concerned, but that was the best description he had come up with for it), stand out starkly on the paper. It was wrinkled from several attempts to throw it out, only to be reclaimed seconds later, and once at the very last second much to the confusion of his mother as he rattled off an excuse of it having some important math stuff on it he thought he hadn't needed.

 _So he wasn't what I thought he'd be._ Idris thinks, not for the first time since he'd run off. _That doesn't mean I have to let him into my life._

It was just guilt over almost killing the blue ninja, or curiosity about his half-brother, or about what the Overlord had said about _him_ being the real green ninja. It could be a mix of all of those reasons, it didn't actually have anything to do with his father, it just so happened that the only way he had of contacting them again was Garmadon's number.

And his Mom, as much as he loved her, wasn't helping. It was hard enough to come up with a convincing lie, it was harder to explain why he'd tolerated his father's presence enough to stay at his place overnight, yet suddenly didn't want to go visit him ever again.

Because he didn't want to see Garmadon again. Ever. Really.

Idris was happy and content to live his life, and let his father go on living his own life. Maybe he wasn't the evil lord that he once was, but that didn't mean he was a good guy.

The paper barely crinkles as he tries to smooth it out, futilely. He isn't sure why he cares if it's wrinkled or not. Seeing it just bugs him. Like seeing the page of a book all wrinkled, or something… a knock at the door interrupts his thoughts.

"Come in!" He crumples up the piece of paper once again, just so his Mom doesn't see its contents.

"Idris, sweetie…" She gives him a sad smile, moving to sit next to him on his bed. Her eyes instantly lock onto the paper he'd tossed aside. "Are you sure everything went alright with your father?"

"…No." He finally admits with a sigh.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." There was no way he could tell his Mom he'd almost killed somebody, even if it was an accident, or an unintentional consequence of a very much not accidental action. How could he explain that he'd let a sweet-talking cult deceive him? He should have known better.

"Well, if you ever want to talk about it, I'll be here." She leans over and kisses his forehead. "And I have some mochi ice cream with your name on it."

"…strawberry flavor?"

She nods with a knowing smile, and Idris can't fight the tiny smile that appears.

"Thanks, Mom." He says gratefully before heading out into the kitchen.

He's already got one stuffed into his mouth when his Mom pops into the kitchen with an apologetic look.

"I forgot some things at work, Honey, so I have to head out for a minute." His answer is muffled by pink, chilled goodness, but his Mom gets the gist of it. "Don't eat too fast, you'll give yourself a stomach ache."

He gives her an innocent look, because he has _never_ done that before, and she just fondly shakes her head at him before heading out.

* * *

"Echo was right, you know." Garmadon says, eyeing the bandages that now adorned both of Hykos' thumbs, at the boy's insistence. "You didn't have to cut yourself."

"I didn't do it solely for the spell." Hykos admits casually, eyeing the bandage on his injured thumb with a keen interest. When he doesn't elaborate, Garmadon asks.

"What other reason did you have?"

"…I wanted to check something." He falls silent for a moment once again, and Garmadon thinks perhaps he didn't want to talk about it before he suddenly says. "It's red."

Looking at the small spot where the blood had saturated the bandage enough to be seen from the outside, Garmadon felt like he both understood and didn't at the same time.

"Your blood wasn't red before?"

"I suppose it would be a lie to say it wasn't." A wry smile appears on his face. "Just that there wasn't enough of it to be seen with all the dark matter."

Garmadon tries to imagine what it would be like, to cut yourself only for inky black 'blood' to come out. It reminds him of when his skin was charred black, complementing his then red eyes to give him a monstrous appearance. It had felt like he'd lost a bit of his humanity that day, and he'd let the thought fuel his ire for his brother, who had been responsible.

"Does it ever stop feeling like a dream?" Hykos asks softly. "I keep thinking I'm going to wake up, or those horrible thoughts are going to come back, and I'll lose control again."

Garmadon wasn't sure what had spurred this sudden confession, but he could guess what happened with Ronin played a part. He was able to do something to help, using power he'd gained through the dark matter. In a way, he was braver than Garmadon was himself. After his change he'd sworn off violence completely, instead choosing to focus more on defensive arts, to try and distance himself from his past self as much as possible.

"You get used to it, slowly." In some ways, Garmadon was still trying to distance himself from who he used to be. Talking with Hykos was making that more and more clear to him. "Although some days still feel like the first day afterward."

"And the guilt?" Hykos asks, eyes searching. "Do you really believe that it's all absolved just because we were under the influence of dark matter?"

Garmadon hesitates at that question, having to avert his own eyes.

"…No."

"Was there anything we could have done to fight the urges it gave us?" Hykos pushes.

"I-" Years of fighting those very urges, the thoughts that sprung up non-stop, got harder and harder as time went by. Every time he'd slip up, even a little, he'd ended up pushing those who he cared for away, until it felt like there was nothing left to lose. No reason to fight it anymore. "I don't think so."

"Is someone who cannot control their actions through illness, mental or physical, responsible for what they do?"

"They aren't."

"Following that logic, then, shouldn't it follow that we have no reason to feel guilty for what we've done?" Garmadon hesitates. "This was your argument for why I shouldn't be imprisoned, Jun."

"No, we aren't responsible." Garmadon nearly snaps. "Is this all some sort of test to see if I'd stay consistent?"

"That wasn't my intention." Hykos says soothingly. "I just wanted to figure why it is, logically, that I can say that I'm not responsible, yet…"

He trails off, and Garmadon finds the aggravation he feels begin to dissipate.

"You want to know why you feel guilty?" Garmadon had dealt with that, too. Was still dealing with it, and he wasn't sure if there'd ever be a day he could say he was completely guilt free. He didn't think the other would find that answer very comforting, nor would he think a lie would be appropriate, assuming the other would even believe it. "I try to do as much good as I can, to make up for what I've done."

Hykos' laugh at that was bitter.

"I doubt, even if I never slept again, I'd have enough time."

Stepping closer, he sets a hand on the other man's shoulder, and says softly.

"No, but maybe your knowledge can be passed on to those who _do_."

There's a second where Hykos looks like he's going to speak, but he stops himself. Before either of them have a chance to say anything more, Garmadon's phone rings. Surprised, he pulls it out and looks at the number. It isn't one he recognizes, but he has a small hope that maybe it was Idris, so he answers.

"Hello?"

"You are going to tell me what the hell happened between you and my son, _now._ "

End chapter fifty-eight

* * *

AN: Here's the second chapter I missed. Now I'm all caught up! ^u^

Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, followed, and favorited. Hope you all enjoyed!

-Kit


	60. Chapter 59

"Hey, Cole, need any help?" Nya offers, reaching into one of the bags nearby and pulling out a roll of streamers. Jay had wasted no time taking charge as soon as they got back, handing out jobs to everyone who wasn't already working on something, and Cole had gotten stuck with the streamers that would be going up into the trees (to the concern of Hiroshi, who had to be assured they'd take down every last one after the wedding was over). The master of water hadn't been given anything to do, but she told herself that Jay was busy trying to explain to Hiroshi just why it was that Dan and Alphonse weren't allowed to see each other while they were getting everything ready, rather than purposely ignoring her.

"Yeah, thanks." Cole spares her a small smile before going back to throwing the roll up into the branches of the tree he was working on, the tree shifting to drop it back down whenever it got caught. It wasn't anything fancy, in fact it looked more like he was TPing the trees than decorating them. She was tempted to ask if Cole really thought Jay would be okay with the choice, but decided against it. How the master of earth chose to do his assigned task wasn't why she had come over, after all.

"So…" Nya hesitates, unsure of how to start this conversation. The master of water had always been prideful, but she'd never taken it to be a flaw before. Now it was an obstacle she had to overcome, not just for her own sake, but for the sake of her friendship with both Cole and Jay. "I wanted to apologize."

"What for?" She can see the gears turning in the black ninja's head as he tries to think back to what she might have done recently that she would be apologizing for. So much had happened since then she would be surprised if he knew what she meant offhand.

"With everything that's happened, I've realized… just how self-centered I've been." She takes a deep breath, steeling herself. She was strong, level headed (usually), and she was determined not to just let things go on unaddressed. "What I put you through… when you thought you liked me. Pitting you against Jay… I never meant for any of that to happen, but I can't deny that it was my fault or that I liked seeing you two fight over me, even if it was just a little bit. So I wanted to apologize."

"Oh…" Cole says softly, running a hand through his hair and letting the roll of streamers fall to the ground instead of catching it. "I-, it's not like you did it on purpose."

"But I still did it." She insists. "Maybe it was an accident, but it was caused by me… and my actions after it happened were completely in my control. I understand if you can't forgive me just yet, if I were in your position I don't think I'd ever forgive me."

There's a small silence as Cole kneels down and picks up the streamer roll, tears off the end and moves down to the next tree to begin decorating.

"I forgive you." Cole gives her a wane smile over his shoulder.

"You do?" Nya asks, surprised.

"I've gone over what happened so many times; thought about what I should have done, or said… switched between who's really at fault, me or Jay… and yeah, I'll admit I've thought about you being to blame, too." He looks down at the ruffled paper in his hands, fingers running over the ridges, brows pinching just the slightest touch. "Even after deciding that no one person was singly at fault in the matter, it didn't magically absolve me of my guilt… in fact, it made me feel worse. I couldn't deny I was in the wrong once I'd made that realization. Knowing that I couldn't control it, that it was all the doing of some magic, is relieving, honestly."

"Not that I'm not glad that you don't feel so guilty anymore," Nya says softly, glancing down at her own roll of streamers. She couldn't help but wonder just what was going through the ghost's head when he looked at the pastel paper. "But that doesn't exactly explain why it is that you've forgiven me so easily."

"…I know just how badly guilt can eat at you. I can tell you're genuinely sorry about what happened, and it's all in the past now, so I don't see any reason not to forgive you." He shrugs, running another hand through his hair, clinging to his wane smile. Nya wasn't convinced he'd truly forgiven her, but he was _willing_ to, and that was all that she could ask for right now. Cole hesitates, looking conflicted, before asking. "Are you planning on apologizing to Jay, too?"

"…Eventually." She hedges. "I do plan too, I just—, I wanted to talk to you about it first."

"If you think I can help you in gaining his forgiveness, all I can say is that it's a _long_ road." He grimaces even as he forces out a light chuckle. "Jay can really hold a grudge…"

"Yeah," Nya sighs. "That's what I'm worried about. He's treating me like, well, not like _normal_ —, or, I guess this is what normal would be if I hadn't accidentally magicked him into loving me, and as much as I want to apologize, I don't want to reopen wounds that have barely had any time to close."

"The longer you wait, though, the harder it'll be." Cole says reasonably, gently tossing the roll of streamers into the branches of the tree once more. It bounces, but the paper doesn't catch and the whole thing tumbles down to the ground.

"I know." She says, getting her own ready to begin throwing into the trees. "That's why I was planning on doing it after the wedding… in case it doesn't go over so well."

"Yeah, I don't think he'd forgive you _or_ himself if you guys ruined the wedding because of it."

"He seems so excited about it." She laughs, before feeling a touch of guilt hit her. She could scarcely recall the last time she'd seen him so eager about anything that wasn't… her. Clearing her throat, she carefully words her next question. "So… is there any chance that Jay likes you?"

"Uh, no." Cole snorts immediately. "Trust me, we may be friends, but there's no way Jay likes me like that."

"But think about it, when he introduced me to his parents, Edna said that I was 'his type.' You're the only other person that I know of that could also fit that. We both have dark hair and tan skin…"

"Yeah, but that was also probably a lie. Remember he didn't want his parents to know he likes guys, so why would he tell them the truth about his type? And even if I _were_ his type physically… I don't think I fit the bill mentally." He seems a little sheepish as he admits the last part.

"Mentally?" Nya asks, raising an eyebrow. "But you two joke around all the time. You're practically on the same wavelength."

"I mean I think he finds smart people attractive." Cole shrugs, running his hand through his hair again. "One of the things he always talked about when he was gushing about you was how smart you are, and although I'm not dumb, I'm not super smart either."

Nya wasn't sure how to take that. It was oddly flattering, but also she couldn't help but wonder if that was because Jay _couldn't_ find her physically attractive and as the magic forced him to like her, he'd focused on what he _could_ find attractive. Cole's other point, however, did make sense. Jay wasn't the best liar when put on the spot, especially if he was nervous. He had a bad habit of going to extremes in those cases, so there was a good chance he'd chosen the exact opposite of his actual type.

"Blond… pale skin… and smart." Nya mutters, and as soon as she does a thought hits her. "Hey, Cole, is there any chance that Jay likes Zane?"

Cole pauses mid toss to give her a suspicious look.

"Why are you so interested in Jay's type?" Nya doesn't have to answer, all she has to do is bite her lip and glance away for him to know. "Nya, I think it would be better if you stayed out of Jay's love life."

"Well, I thought that it might make him more likely to forgive me if I helped him find someone." Now that she said it out loud, it did sound like a horrible idea. Tamping down on her embarrassment, she quickly goes on. "But you're right. Besides, Jay probably wouldn't want to get into another relationship so soon, anyway."

Cole gives her a small, pitying look. If she didn't know it was one of understanding, she might have taken offense to it, but instead she takes a bit of solace in it. Jay had seemed to hate Cole after what had happened, and now they were back to being best friends. Nya might not have had any history with Jay before their 'relationship,' but there was hope that he'd forgive her one day, too.

 _I'll just have to have patience._ She thinks with determination. _Dad always said relationships were like forging a blade, you couldn't rush things, or what you'd forge would be too brittle to withstand stress._

* * *

"Hey, Zane!" Jay cheerfully calls out, quickly approaching the nindroid.

"Jay." Zane says in a simple greeting.

"Have you seen Lloyd around?" The blue ninja asks, a bemused smile on his face. "Ma wants him to help cook, for some reason, and since he isn't really _needed_ elsewhere, I didn't see why not… only now I can't find him."

"I do not know where Lloyd is." Zane says, giving the other an apologetic look. Jay nods and moves to leave, so Zane quickly steps forward and grabs the other's shoulder. They were relatively alone, the others all focused on whatever it was they needed to do to prepare, Zane likely wouldn't get another moment like this until well after the wedding. "I like you."

Jay gives him a small smile, pats him on the shoulder, and says.

"I like you too, Buddy." And then he's walking away.

It feels like his mind is short circuiting as he realizes that the other didn't understand what he meant and that his moment was quickly passing.

"I meant romantically!" He calls out to the other's retreating back, and watches as Jay freezes in place. His heart is pounding, adrenaline pumping at his impulsive action, and he feels frozen, watching the red slowly creep up the blue ninja's neck.

" _What…?"_ Jay turns back and squeaks out a question. There's a look of disbelief in his eyes, and Zane quickly closes the distance between them once more, seizing hold of his impulsive mood so that he doesn't lose yet another chance to make his feelings clear.

"I meant that I like you romantically." He says firmly, without any sign of hesitation. There's a long moment where Jay just stands there, red slowly creeping up his face, before he finally answers with a simple.

"Oh."

Déjà vu strikes Zane then, as a similar scene comes to mind, with him staring down into a pair of mismatched eyes. One eye a lightning blue, the other… the other should have been an off-brown, almost hazel shade, but it's a bruise purple with hints of gold shining through.

 _Gold…?_ Zane realizes with a mild shock. _Jay's eyes should both be blue._

He leans in a bit to get a better look, and carefully grabs Jay's face to keep him from moving too much. The small intake of breath doesn't register in Zane's mind as he examines the tiny flecks of pure gold peeking through the bruise purple, but the loud squeal definitely breaks him from his thoughts and snaps his attention over to where Edna was standing, covering her mouth guiltily while Ed shushes her, and with Alphonse standing next to his brother, giving the master of ice a thumbs up when their eyes meet.

 _I just confessed in front of Jay's parents._ His arms stiffly move down to his side. _No, I confessed in front of his_ _ **entire family**_.

"I think Kai might need some help with the lights." Zane says quickly, stiffly turning away to where he knew the master of fire was working. He's tempted to look back, but the uncomfortably warm feeling in his face convinces him to keep walking instead.

* * *

"Stop _squirming_." Kai growls at the tree he was currently trying to tie a lantern to. The thing wouldn't sit still, and every time he thought he'd gotten it hung right the tree would start shifting this way and that until the lantern fell out or was in some ridiculous position that would be either impossible to light a candle in it, or a fire hazard to attempt it. "I know you can understand me."

The leaf he's glaring at doesn't answer, and he's just about to go hunt down Hiroshi and shake some sense into _him_ when Zane walks up, looking more flustered than Kai had ever seen him.

"You look like you could use some assistance."

"Yeah," Kai snorts, his agitation forgotten. "I could say the same thing about you."

"I'm fine." Zane insists, eyeing the bags of lanterns for a moment before letting out a small breath and admitting. "I don't know where to start…"

Kai waits for a moment, watching the master of ice struggling to put his thoughts together, before letting out a low whistle.

"Whatever this is, it must be pretty bad to have you so rattled."

"His parents were there." Zane blurts out in response, before adding with a groan. "As well as his uncle."

"Parents…? Okay, you're going to have to start from the top here." Kai shakes his head.

"Jay's." Zane seems to cringe as he thinks back. "I just… I didn't realize that they were there."

"Okay." Kai says slowly, still not understanding. "And that's an issue?"

"I—," Zane hesitates, brows furrowing for a moment. "I suppose not."

"So… is that it?" Kai prompts, confusion feeding into frustration as the white ninja still hasn't told him just what the problem even was. Why would Zane have any problems with Jay's parents (and uncle) being around? Zane thinks for a moment, appearing calmer than before, although not fully recovered from whatever had shaken him.

"…Yes, for now that is it." He looks a little sheepish as he turns to the bags. "Thank you, Kai."

"You're welcome?" Kai wasn't really sure what he'd done, if anything. He still wasn't sure what the problem was. Either way, though, he was glad for Zane's help. The annoying trees seemed happier when the master of ice was hanging up the lanterns, since they didn't fidget.

 _They better not start fidgeting when I have to light them, later._ Kai thinks, sending the nearest tree a little glare.

* * *

The myriad of emotions that Koko felt when she heard everything that had happened in the short span of time since she had allowed Idris to go to their new home ahead of her had her staggering to sit on the nearest surface.

She'd already said her goodbyes with Garmadon, so right now she was taking the time to gather her thoughts. She didn't think Garmadon was one to lie (and god help him if he _did_ ), but she wanted to confirm it with her son. The question was, should she be subtle and try to get him to tell her of his own will, or confront him directly and force him to talk?

 _There's no way he'll tell me._ She reasons with herself. _If he was going to tell me, he would have already._

So, direct confrontation it was. She'd do her best not to be accusatory, because she didn't want to put her son on the defensive, but what he'd done… there _was_ going to be consequences, she just wasn't sure what, yet.

When she finally stepped back into their apartment, Idris had already finished off the mochi ice cream she'd gotten him. She almost wished she'd bought more, but the sweet treat would do little to ease the bitter conversation they were about to have.

"Idris, sweetie…" Her son stiffens almost immediately at her tone of voice, eyes alert and anxious. "I talked with your father."

She sets the small scrap of paper on the table, the smudged numbers written in black ink stood out starkly against the off white of the paper. Idris stares at the paper, his face taking on a similar pallor as it, before he weakly says.

"You took it…?"

"I was worried about you." She says gently, moving closer, and sitting down at the table next to Idris. "Idris… I—"

"I'm sorry!" He bursts out, guilt appearing on his face, which he quickly tries to hide behind his bangs. "I didn't think… I mean I thought that…. I just wanted to help."

Koko smiles sadly. Idris was a bleeding heart, ever since he was little. He'd brought home more animals than she could count, the only reason they didn't currently have a pet was due to their last apartment's no pets rule… and then there were the countless calls she'd gotten from the school for fights that Idris had been a part of over the years. There were always two reasons he'd given her when asked, 'I was just defending myself,' and 'I was trying to help.' The teachers might have been convinced that her son was a trouble maker, but he'd always been so sincere whenever he'd said them… but it had been a while since she'd heard the latter reason. Even if she was glad that Idris was getting involved in less fights, she had worried that he was caring less and less to try and help others…

 _Life must be having a nice laugh at me right now._ She thinks self-deprecatingly.

"I'd like to hear what happened from you before I make my decision." She says evenly. Idris nods and slowly begins to explain everything.

* * *

Hykos hums idly, gazing at the forest around him almost absentmindedly. He'd walked off shortly into Jun's conversation with… whoever it was on the other end of the phone line. It had seemed personal, and Jun's expressions were (shocked, happy, confused, sad) _complicated_. So instead he was trying to enjoy the pleasant hum of the forest around him, even if every blade of grass leaned away from him, making the little flower's opinion of him obvious.

It raked at him to see it if he were honest. Hykos didn't want to be honest. So instead he pushed his feet on, to carry him deeper into the forest. Maybe the little flower would kill him if he wandered where the others couldn't see or allow one of the animals he'd been keeping away from the humans to get at him.

All the various ways one could die flash before his mind's eye, and before he knew it he found himself ranking them via pain. Strangling was relatively low on his list, as once the oxygen deprivation truly set in it was relatively pleasant as far as deaths go. Poisoning, on the other hand, could be much worse. A prolonged, painful death… mauling he wasn't sure how to rate. It'd be painful, but it would be relatively short. Would a lower level of pain stretched out over a longer time be worse or better than a more severe pain over a shorter period of time?

"—I don't think that's the best option, Hiroshi." A voice drifts over, attracting Hykos' attention. "It's got paint splatters all over it."

"But it's the most colorful thing you own." The little flower's voice replies, insistent.

Hykos hesitates, wondering if it was a wise move to approach the forest spirit when it made it very clear that his presence was no more than tolerated.

"Weddings aren't usually very colorful, though… or the suits aren't, at least."

"But the males are almost always flashy for their mates!" The little flower presses. "If weddings are so important, then shouldn't you be as flashy as possible for your mate?"

"Okay, first, please never refer to Al as my mate again." The other says with a slight groan. "Second, humans don't follow the same rules that animals do when it comes to this stuff… besides, it would look terrible if I decided to attend my wedding in the shirt that I paint in."

"But-, ah, we've gotta move!"

"What, why?"

"Because Al is coming this way!"

Hykos can hear both the sound of the little flower struggling to push the man, as well as the soft approaching footsteps of someone approaching. Deciding to be nice, he moves to intercept the person approaching.

"Oh, uh, hello…" The man says awkwardly. "I was just looking for Dan, so…"

"I thought you weren't supposed to see him before the wedding?" Hykos found it interesting that the man seemed intent on getting away from him as quickly as possible. He'd done nothing to personally wrong this man, it was all the actions of others, and his existence had even ended up being a boon to him. Perhaps he didn't see it that way, though.

"Yeah, well, no one else has to know… right?" He let's out a nervous chuckle, adjusting his battered glasses a bit, only to have them slide back out of place. Honestly, those frames bother Hykos more than they should.

"If only there wasn't a sentient forest that had just been told how important a rule it was doing its best to enforce it." He hums.

"Ah… yeah." He chuckles nervously again, shifting his glasses. "That's unfortunate. I was hoping to tell him what happened."

"Hm?" He hums curiously, ignoring the regretful look that appeared on the man's face right after.

"It wasn't that important." He waves dismissively, eyes darting around as he appeared to look for some sort of escape. Hykos was preparing to cut his loses and walk away when the man's eyes linger on one of the plants nearby for a second.

"Aurora bloom." He says, looking over the multicolored petals fondly. "Named for the gradient of color on the petals. Their roots are used in certain antitoxin recipes."

"…I've only seen them in drawings." The other man breaths out in rapture, moving to inspect the flower more closely. "You said it was called an Aurora bloom?"

"Yes." Hykos nods. "They're very rare, even within this forest."

"Do you know if this forest has a lot of magical plants like this?" There was a spark of interest in the other's eyes, completely replacing the unease there before, which surprises Hykos.

"Quite a lot, actually. I could tell you about them if you'd like."

"Yes!" The man says eagerly, before clearing his throat and adjusting his glasses once more. "I mean, yeah, if it isn't a bother…"

"Consider it my wedding gift." He says easily, reaching forward and plucking the glasses of the other's nose, noting his surprise, before humming a melody to allow him to mend the break in the bridge of the glasses. He gently pulls the tape away before handing them back to the other man. "That, along with this."

The man carefully takes his glasses back, going cross eyed as he tries to examine them, and then slipping them on carefully. They sit on his face properly, no longer sliding when he adjusts them.

"…Thank you." He says softly with a grateful smile. "It's kind of hard to get a new prescription when you're dead."

"It was annoying to look at, that's all." He says, brushing the other off. "We should get started, there are a lot of plants to go through."

"Of course." The other replies, although his smile doesn't fade. Instead, it only seems to grow as they talk more, and Hykos finds himself returning the smile, to a lesser degree, as time drags on.

End chapter fifty-nine.

* * *

AN: Sorry about leaving you all hanging for so long. Finals happened and it required all of my attention, and I'm just getting back into the swing of writing this story. Having said that, though, I realize that I've kinda been dragging the ending out, so the next chapter is going to be the very last, even if I have to make it double the usual length. I do have a squeal to this planned, but it won't be coming out right away. I want to get as many chapters as possible written before I start posting so that the chance of long breaks like this are as minimal as possible. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the next! ^u^

And a huge thanks to everyone who's read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this story so far.

-Kit


	61. Epilogue

"And what about this tree?" Alphonse can barely contain his excitement as he gestures to a lone tree with purple bark and blue pine needles. It stood in opposition to the trees around it, the only pine-type tree they'd come across.

"This beauty is an ever-young," Viperae replies, letting out a small hum of appreciation. "Its bark is used to make tomorrow tea."

"Tomorrow tea?" Alphonse glances over the tree again, feeling his brows pull down as a slight frown takes hold. "But doesn't that tea make you age?"

"It does." Viperae's tone is light, almost giddy, as he answers. Alphonse was coming to realize that meant there was something… well, not exactly _bad_ , but unpleasant, associated with the plant.

"But then why is it called ever- _young_?" Alphonse pushes on anyway. He wasn't one to judge another's macabre interests, anyway. "If the tree's bark makes you age, shouldn't it be named something like…. I don't know, the tomorrow tree?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Viperae says with a small huff of a laugh. "the tree and the tea were named by two different people. Mainly because the man who named the tree died before he could name the tea."

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why he named the tree ever-young in the first place."

"That~ is because he thought it would be his proverbial fountain of youth!"

"Wait, don't tell me he _aged himself to death_ using the tea!" Alphonse gasps.

"He did~!" Viperae laughs. "The poor fool managed to test the tea on a _phoenix_ of all things. When it turned into a baby bird, he thought he'd finally found what he was looking for, and without further question, poured it on himself. There was nothing left of the man but bones."

"How unfortunate." Alphosne says with a sympathetic wince, even as he starts to chuckle as well. Any scientist should know better than to trust just a single trial or point of data. Assuming the man was a scientist at all, that is.

"Hey, Al?" Ed calls out, drawing their attention. "Everything is ready, we just need the two grooms."

"Already?" Alphonse asks a touch breathlessly.

"Of course," Ed laughs, clapping a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "We're all looking forward to the ceremony."

"I'm pretty sure you're just looking forward to the after party." Alphonse ribs his brother as they start to head towards the camp. His stomach was flipping over itself excitedly, his hands were trembling even as he found a skip in his step.

This was it, he was going to marry the man of his dreams.

* * *

Cliff Gordon couldn't help the odd feeling that he was intruding. It wasn't exactly a new feeling, he felt out of place in many of the high-end gatherings he'd attended. The difference, though, was that in those he knew how to act. They were ways of forging contacts or giving the paparazzi a story that cast you in a good light. Even the few weddings he'd attended had been like that… this, however, was an intimate affair, and Cliff had never been to a celebration with such tight-knit people.

Cliff is completely out of his element, with no script to help guide him, and it's putting his nerves on edge.

"Hey," James says, approaching him with a fast-paced walk; and here was the other thing that has him on edge. "we're just about ready to get started, so you should probably head on over to the… uh, seats? They're kinda just logs, like you'd sit on at a campfire, only we arranged them to face the… uh… the place where Al and Dan are going to stand? It's not really an altar, so it can't be called that, I guess…"

It felt like someone had stabbed him right in the heart, watching James ramble like Storm used to, except with a slight furrow to his brows and a constant shifting of his weight from foot to foot that Cliff himself had worked hard to break as a nervous habit.

"Are you feeling alright?" Cliff asks before he can think things through. He shouldn't be asking, shouldn't be getting involved in James' life. Not after what he'd done. He didn't have the right.

"Huh?" James pauses, freezes in his shifting, before a tinge of pink covers his cheeks as he looks away and forces out an embarrassed laugh. "I'm fine."

It was clearly a lie. Cliff had watched enough of James' interviews and his game show in order to know that he wasn't the type to normally avoid eye contact. The question was, though, should he call out the lie? Certainly, it'd be easier not to. Cliff could go back to being just another stranger in James' life…

"James," Cliff speaks up, surprising not only himself, but James as well. "I… may be a stranger, but if there's something you'd like to talk about, I'm willing to listen and offer whatever advice I may be able to give."

James gives him an odd look, before saying with a chuckle, "no one calls me James."

A flush of embarrassment washes over Cliff, and he's certain that his own face is betraying him.

"Right," he says, a tad faster than perhaps needed. "Sorry, I suppose that's something only your family would call you."

"Well, no," James shrugs. "Ma and Da just call me Jay." Cliff nods solemnly, preparing to offer another apology when James continues. "But I don't mind you calling me James; you are my dad after all… or, one of them, at least. _A_ dad of mine."

Those words were like a bucket of ice to counter the previous flush Cliff felt.

"You know?"

"I do."

"I see." Cliff crosses his arms, acting casual despite feeling his fingers starting to tremble. This was it, then. "I understand if you don't want anything to do with me."

"Actually I was kinda hoping for that advice you offered?"

"Oh!" Cliff's heart was going to give out from all these swinging emotions. "I-, yes, of course." This was like a dream, or a nightmare, it was hard to tell which at the moment. "What seems to be the matter?"

"Where do I start?" James lets out a breath, studying a nearby rock for a moment before starting. "So… a friend of mine confessed."

"And you don't know how to turn them down?"

"No! I mean, no." He brushes a lock of hair out of his face, and Cliff feels another pang as the action reminds him of Storm, before he shakes his head and forces himself to focus on the moment. "I think I like them, too, but…"

"But?"

"Okay this," James takes a deep breath. "This is where things get complicated. So, I-I was in a relationship before, kinda," he turns to begin pacing. "It happened because of some weird genie-heritage magic and it influenced how I acted and…" He stops, shoulders dropping as his arms come up to grip himself. "I'm worried it won't be any different than before. That _I_ won't be any different from how I acted before, and that I'll end up driving him away and ruining our team further."

Okay, what?

Alright, he knew that the previous relationship was probably with that girl, Nya, who was now the Master of Water. Cliff couldn't say that he exactly liked the girl, at least as a match for his son, especially after the entire controversy of her… tryst, with another member got out, but he knew that the tabloids skewed details to cause as much outrage as possible. Magic, though? Cliff didn't know what James meant by that, and it was a worrying thought.

 _Maybe I should talk to the others, after all,_ Cliff thinks. _Perhaps they can fill me in on what's been happening._

At the moment, though, James was looking to him for advice. He needed to say something.

"If… _magic_ was the cause of your actions, then there isn't anything to worry about, right?"

"But that's just it," James laughs hollowly, looking away and hugging himself tighter. "I'm not sure it was… those thoughts and feelings, the jealousy and the constant need for affection… I think that might've been there before. The magic just made it worse."

"That-," Cliff stops, finding himself chuckling as a thought strikes him. "I understand your worries. I've dealt with similar, myself."

"You?" James looks over at him, disbelief clear on his face. "But you're…"

"Famous?"

"Yeah!"

"Fame does little to stop you from worrying that your partner won't be faithful, especially when her job is to photograph other, more famous and attractive people than yourself." Cliff shakes his head at the memory of his past self. "It was foolish, but what really helped me to get past it was Storm asking me if I had any intention of cheating on her with my coworkers, and I realized that she was dealing with the same worries I was. Neither of us had eyes for anyone else, but that didn't stop us from worrying that the other did…" He trails off, noticing that James looked unconvinced. "But I suppose that doesn't help if you don't trust the other person."

"Trust?" James perks up a bit.

"Yes, every relationship is based on trust, love doubly so," Cliff nods. "Would you say you trust this person?"

"Yeah." James says without hesitation. "I'd trust him with my life."

"There you go, then." Cliff lays a hand on James' shoulder.

"Yeah…" James' smile is slow to form, but it quickly lights up his whole face. "Yeah! Thanks, Cliff, I think I'm gonna go tell him how I feel now before I lose my nerve!"

"You're welcome." Cliff waves off his son, who was already racing off to go find whoever it was who had captured his heart.

' _He,' huh?_ Cliff muses. _I'm glad he isn't hiding a part of himself just to maintain his image._

* * *

Garmadon looks over the hastily scribbled speech he hoped to have memorized before everything was set up, although that was looking less and less likely. He disliked the thought of presiding over a wedding and reading aloud in order to wed them.

 _Would Jay notice if I were to make something up?_ Garmadon wonders, eyeing the blue ninja as he raced across the small clearing that they were having the wedding in, likely to make some last-minute changes to the plans or something. _Did this much planning go into my wedding?_

He'd left most of the planning to Misako, who seemed happy at the time, but he wasn't sure if that was actually the case, and now he couldn't ask her even if he wanted to. The thought twisted his stomach, adding fuel to his ire, which he did his best to set aside for the moment.

Unfortunately, his brother had decided that now was the perfect time to approach him.

"Garmadon," Wu begins, which only serves to agitate him further. "I would like to talk with you after the ceremony."

"I don't believe there is anything left to say," Garmadon folds up the paper and stuffs it into his robe pocket. He wasn't going to memorize anything with his brother there and based on what he'd written he doubted Jay even knew what was said at a wedding.

Wu, for his part, seemed to consider his next words carefully.

"I understand your anger with me, Brother, I am angry with myself over what happened, too." Wu shifts his grip on his staff, lowering his head as if to glance at it, but Garmadon knows he's just hiding his face behind his hat. "I… acknowledge that I have not been the best brother throughout the years." When Wu looks up, his face is sorrowful. "Somewhere along the way I stopped trying to help you… and just focused on how I could defeat you. I thought you were beyond saving, and so I stopped even trying."

"If there is a point to this," Garmadon says evenly, keeping his flagging ire hidden. "I suggest you get to it."

"The point is, that I am sorry." Wu holds out his hand. "And I would like to work with you to be as brothers should be, again."

"You still don't understand," Garmadon says softly, shaking his head. He was surprised that it wasn't anger that was the dominant emotion he felt now, but sadness. "You talk as if you want to regain the closeness of our youth, and yet you continue to distance yourself from me."

His words bring out a spark of frustration in his brother's eyes, he notes, but Wu simply asks.

"How am I distancing myself from you?"

"No man can force another to see something he refuses to, Wu," Garmadon turns to take his place at the ceremony. "We can talk when you stop playing blind."

* * *

The last thing Zane expected shortly after finishing hanging the lanterns was for Jay to run up full-tilt, nearly tripping over his feet as he stops before the Master of ice.

"Is everything alright?" Zane asks, glancing at the lanterns. Maybe Jay was going to tell them they put them up wrong, or that they had put up the wrong ones and now they'd have to hurry to replace them before the ceremony started.

"Yeah…" Jay pants, holds up a hand for him to wait, and then straightens up with a nervous, but bright smile. "I trust you!"

"…What?" Zane feels that phantom ache in his chest at those words and feels a cold sweat break out on his skin.

"Uh, sorry," Jay laughs. "I had this whole conversation and… it doesn't matter. I meant to say I like you, too."

Zane can only manage a breathy "oh?"

"Zane?" Jay's studying his face, and Zane has no idea what expression he's making but he knows it's the wrong one.

"Sorry, I'm feeling a little light headed." Zane half-lies, because his head is starting to spin.

"Why don't we sit down then?" Jay says, starting to head towards the seating. "I was hoping to get a front-row seat, an—"

Jay's cut off by Zane pulling him back and into his arms, where he grips him in a tight, desperate hug. He's a solid weight in his arms as the memory of a cloak fluttering in the wind as he leaves dances across his eyes, the last time he saw him… the thief… "James." He's barely aware of the rasp of his voice, but Jay shudders in his arms, letting out a little squeak.

"Okay, guys, looks like everything's ready!" Kai announces loudly, quickly making a beeline for the logs. "I'm just gonna go sit down now!"

"…sorry." Zane stiffly let's go of Jay, feeling his face start to flush.

"It's fine." Jay says softly, his own face red. "Um, how did you know that 'Jay' is short for 'James?'"

"I didn't." Zane blinks. "I think… it was the thief's name?"

"Thief?"

"I'll explain later," Zane says, realizing that the ceremony looked just about ready to start, and finding himself feeling a little guilty that whatever that was had overshadowed Jay reciprocating his feelings. "Wait, did you say you like me too?"

"Yeah?" Jay gives him a quizzical look. "Maybe you should go lay down?"

"No, no, I'll be fine!" Zane can't help but smile. "Is it too soon to ask if I can kiss you?"

The red that was fading from Jay's face comes back full force.

"I think… in this case, it'd be alright." Jay says slowly, stepping a bit closer.

"Then, can I kiss you?" Zane cups Jay's cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin sink into his hand.

"Please do." Jay smirks, sliding his arms around Zane's neck and pulling him forward.

Jay's lips are softer than Zane expected, and he feels a flutter in his stomach that makes him think why people might have come up with such an absurd notion as butterflies in one's stomach (aside from having literal butterflies within your chest plate).

Jay lets out a giddy laugh when they part, and Zane wishes they could just stay there forever… but there was a wedding to attend, and he doubted anyone would appreciate him keeping the ringbearer from his duties.

"Come on," Zane grabs Jay's hand and interlaces their fingers. "Let's go get seated."

After they're seated, after the ceremony had gotten well underway, and after the rush has died down, Zane is left to think about what happened, the memory of the thief lingering in the back of his mind, and he comes to a conclusion.

 _I need to find out what happened to him._

It was going to linger over his head forever if he didn't.

* * *

"Are there any vows you'd like to exchange?" Sensei Garmadon asks the happy couple.

"I have something to say," Dan nods, before turning his attention to Alphonse. "So… I can honestly say I never expected my life to turn out this way, getting married in a sentient forest that I technically adopted, dressed in my paint-splattered clothes, with one of the most feared men in recent history presiding over our wedding." Dan chuckles to himself. "I still remember how we met. I was working at a plant nursery and you arrived, demanded to see the person behind the painting of what you described as 'bloody dream weed.' You asked so many questions and were so intense that I couldn't help but be curious… and from that day I knew life with you would never be boring. I don't care how much or how little life we have left, I just know I want to spend it with you."

"I honestly never thought I'd get to see you again." Alphonse sniffles, carefully wiping away a tear. "I still feel like I'm going to wake up at any moment and this'll all be gone… and although I know our remaining time is short, I want to spend the rest of it with you, too."

"Now, the rings." Sensei Garmadon gestures over to where Jay was waiting with the rings. He quickly steps forward and hands them off. The two carefully slip the rings on each other's fingers and Alphonse has to wipe away a few more tears. "I now pronounce you husband and husband."

Dan and Alphonse kiss while the small crowd claps, with a few whistles as well.

After a few tearful, quiet words traded between the two, Alphonse turns to their audience and announces.

"Time for cake!"

* * *

"Borg," Hykos says after several long moments of searching his memory for the little spider's actual name. While the others had all swarmed the food, Hykos noticed that Cyrus Borg had stayed back, likely waiting for the crowd to thin a bit, as navigating both the terrain and all those people would be difficult. And so, now, hopefully, was as good a time as any to enact his plan, especially given that everyone else's attention was elsewhere. "you seem well."

"Yes, thankfully having your soul removed is reversable, given you don't fully detach it." He replies in a cold tone, which was expected.

"I…" Hykos hesitates, cursing himself, and then cursing his father for raising him to be so prideful. Biting the bullet, he bows low to the inventor. "I'm sorry. For what I did… for everything; hurting both you and your business."

Hykos had never felt this vulnerable since he was a child, waiting for the other man to say something. Either positive or negative. This was the first step he had to take in making amends, and Hykos was determined to face whatever outcome this would have.

"…Thank you." Cyrus says after some time. "I can see how hard this is for you."

"Yes, well, I'm used to pain," he says breezily.

"Is that so?"

"M~hm," Hykos hums. "When you can never die you either get used to pain, lose your mind, or both!"

"It must have been quite the mental strain." Cyrus says seriously, which throws Hykos a bit, expecting a more adverse reaction. "Have you considered seeing a therapist?"

"Ah…" Hykos could rarely say he'd been caught speechless, but here it was.

"There's no shame in it," Cyrus says surprisingly softly. "I talked to many therapists and psychologists when I first started working on AI, and I know they're just there to help."

"I don't… need therapy."

"It's just something to keep in mind." Cyrus says, before he starts wheeling towards the cake, pausing only to hand Hykos his card. "I know several good ones if you change your mind."

It's only when he has to take the card that he realizes how tightly he'd balled his fists, driving his nails into his skin until it bled, and he had no idea when he had done it. The red smears on the white of the card, and Hykos feels his chest shudder as he tries to take a deep breath.

 _I'm fine,_ he tells himself. _I don't need to rely on some pseudoscience._

The card is slid into his pocket anyway.

* * *

"Jay, can we talk?" Nya speaks up tentatively. If there was ever a good grease for something so bitter, it'd be cake, right? Nya hoped so, at least.

"Uh… sure?" Jay lowers the bite of cake back to his plate, giving her his full attention. "What about?"

"I… me." She sits nearby, close but not too close. "I was a horrible girlfriend, and a bad friend, and I just wanted to apologize for how I treated you."

"Well, it's not like I was perfect, either."

"Yeah, but you were under the effects of some spell, I don't have an excuse for my behavior." Nya shakes her head. "All I could think about was myself, and I didn't care if you suffered for it. I didn't care if anyone suffered because of me… even outside of _us_. I haven't been a team player when it comes to being a ninja, either."

"Nya, are you happy being a ninja?"

"What?"

"I mean, I know you wanted to be one at first, but then you became the samurai instead, and then you _had_ to be a ninja…" Jay shrugs, pushing around the cake on his plate. "And I was pushing you to date me, magic or not, I can understand why you felt like you had no control over anything."

"Yeah, but it doesn't excuse my actions." Nya shakes her head. "What I did to you was terrible, and I'm sorry."

"I appreciate your apology, Nya," Jay gives her a wane smile. "I think I'm gonna need some time, but I want you to know that what I'm saying has nothing to do with me forgiving you or not." Setting aside his cake, Jay turns his full attention on her. "The choice is ultimately yours, but I don't think you're actually happy being a ninja…"

"You think I should quit?"

"Not exactly." Jay picks his cake back up. "I just think you should consider going back to being a samurai."

"It's not that simple, though."

"Yeah, but isn't water the element that slowly carves out its own path?" Jay points at her with his fork. "The river cuts the boulder in half or… however that phrase went!"

"I suppose you're right," Nya laughs, lightly batting the fork aside. "I'll… think about it."

With that Nya leaves Jay to his cake and goes back to her own slice to think things over.

Samurai X was dead. A part of her past that, while fun while it lasted, she didn't feel right just slipping back into. Jay was right, though, she had never fully gotten over the team being a 'boys club' even after they'd fully accepted her. Even if she'd been here for most of it, it was still something that had been separate from her for so long that it didn't feel right being a part of her now.

So what should she do?

Nya had no intentions of not helping to protect Ninjago, but she also didn't feel like playing third wheel to the rest of the ninja again, either… and then a familiar orange gi catches her eye.

 _Maybe I don't have to do this alone._

* * *

Overlooking the gathering of people, all happily chatting and enjoying food, Jay can't help but feel content. Things almost felt… normal. If you can call a sentient forest destination wedding normal.

And he had a boyfriend, too, which is something he honestly thought he'd never say.

 _Things are looking up,_ he thinks, while he gets up to get a second slice after all. _Hopefully it keeps getting better._

The End

* * *

AN: So this chapter took _way_ longer than I expected it to. But hey, it's here, the final chapter of Broken Circles! I hope you all have enjoyed this so far. ^u^

I do still plan on writing a sequel to this, but I want to get a decent amount ahead before I start posting, as well as maintaining a more reasonable posting schedule so I don't catch up to the chapter currently being written. In the interim, though, I will be posting a few oneshots that didn't really have a place in Broken Circles or the sequel.

I hope to see you there,

-Kit


End file.
